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My favorite part of the book has to be the photography done by James Fisher – each photo is a small glimpse into the everyday life of locals. This book is not only a wonderful cookbook but a fabulous coffee table book as well just based on the photography!
Each recipe in the book is attached to a tradition of a local group of people. From Rajasthan, India to Iceland – you can try the recipes in the book to transport yourself around the world!
I decided to try to make Icelandic Spice Cake aka Farmhouse Spice Cake. I know spice cakes are usually made around fall/winter, but I was in the mood for a spice cake so I went for it!
The cake recipe is from a family in Fornihvammur, Iceland and this cake is usually baked around winter (when the sun barely comes out) and taken to a gathering where people come together to drink strong coffee and eat home-baked goods.
I added vanilla and salt to my cake since I like to do that with almost everything I bake. The recipe calls for an 8-inch springform pan, but I had mine in the dishwasher and out of pure laziness I used my 9×5 loaf pan. The baking time for a loaf pan is a little longer. The spice cake is dense yet moist.
This spice cake would compliment a cup of chai or coffee any morning. Since it’s the summer I enjoyed it with a cup of iced coffee and, man, it was perfect. Give this recipe a try and be sure to check out Shane Mitchell’s book, Far Afield!
Icelandic Spice Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan with butter and set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. I set mine to medium speed and let is mix for 3 minutes until it was white and fluffy.
- While the butter is creaming, add flour, cocoa powder, spices, baking soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl and whisk together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter and beat for 1 minute.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in 3 increments, mixing well in between each batch.
- Set the mixer on low speed and slowly drizzle in the milk. Scrap down the bowl and mix until you have a smooth, homogenous batter.
- Pour the batter into the grease loaf pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Bake for 75 – 90 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center! Cool the cake and serve with coffee or tea!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: one 9x5 loaf
