Old English Spice Cake with Currant Hard Sauce

Name: Old English Spice Cake with Currant Hard Sauce
Cook time: P1H15M
Total time: P1H30M
Yield: 12
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: butter, unsalted; sugar; eggs; milk; flour, unbleached, all-purpose; water; baking powder; saffron threads; vanilla extract; caraway seeds; lemon zest; orange zest; cinnamon; cloves; mace; nutmeg; butter; cream cheese; powdered sugar; lemon juice; saffron threads; vanilla extract; raisins, seedless; currants

Submitted by lb9an

Here I adapted an 18th century English spice cake recipe which also makes nice cupcakes.

YIELD

12 servings

PREP

20 min

COOK

75 min

READY

90 min

Ingredients

Cake

CUP BUTTER, UNSALTED

CUPS SUGAR

LARGE EGGS

CUP MILK

CUPS UNBLEACHED ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR

CUP WATER
hot

TEASPOONS BAKING POWDER

TEASPOON SAFFRON THREADS *

TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

TEASPOONS CARAWAY SEEDS

LEMON ZEST *

ORANGE ZEST *

TEASPOON CINNAMON
ground

TEASPOON CLOVES

TEASPOON MACE

TEASPOON NUTMEG

Currant hard sauce

CUP BUTTER
unsalted

POUND CREAM CHEESE

CUP POWDERED SUGAR

TABLESPOONS LEMON JUICE

TEASPOON SAFFRON THREADS *

TEASPOON VANILLA EXTRACT

CUP RAISINS, SEEDLESS
yellow

CUP CURRANTS

Directions

Powder saffron, work into butter.

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, one at a time.

Add vanilla and caraway.

Sift together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients to batter alternately with milk.

Mix in zest. Pour into greased, floured sheet cake or cupcake pan.

Preheat oven and bake at 350℉ (180℃) (175C) for about 1¼ hrs.

Check after 1 hour. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then on rack. Serve with dollop of Currant Hard Sauce.

CURRANT HARD SAUCE:

Powder saffron, work into chilled cream cheese. Cream together butter and cheese. Beat until light and fluffy. Mix in remaining ingredients and chill. Serve at room temperature.