This beautiful cake pairs very well with tea and brings in its flavour all the warmth and exotic touches you would find in far off lands.  This is inspired by flavours from India and the Middle East and will a quick favourite for many of the people who try it.  Light and fluffy and full of subtle flavours.

Time:

1 hour and 5 min

Serves:

10

Good for:

• Exotic flavour
• Warm subtle and unassuming
• Great with tea (add cardamom to your tea to enhance this cake’s flavour)

Ingredients:

• 230g all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2  tspn baking powder
• ¼  tspn salt
• ½  tspn saffron threads (soak in 2 tbsp of milk)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½  cup (300g) fine sugar
• ½  cup (113g) butter, melted and cooled (for a lighter version, use 1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt and ¼ cup butter)
• 1 cup (250ml) skimmed milk/rice milk, room temperature
• 1 tbsp freshly ground cardamom powder
• 1 tspn rosewater

 Kitchen things you’ll need:

• 12 inch bundt cake pan or a 9 inch spring form pan.
• Mortar
• Large bowl
• Medium bowl
• Sifter
• Electric mixer or blender
• Slotted or wooden spoon

Making it:

• Preheat oven to  180ºC (350ºF).
• Spray a non-stick butter spray on the bottom of a 12 inches bundt cake pan (or a 9 inches spring form pan).
• In a mortar, crush the saffron threads with 1 tsp of sugar until it’s a powder. Add 2 tbsp of  milk and leave to soak for at least 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Use an electric mixer to whisk the eggs and the fine sugar until thick, about 10-12 minutes on medium to high speed. The mixture should triple in volume.
• In a bowl, combine the wet ingredients — the butter, Greek yogurt (if replacing), milk, cardamom, rosewater and the saffron mixture.
• Using a large slotted metal spoon (or a wooden spoon), gently fold in the dry and wet ingredients into the eggs, beginning and ending with flour. Fold from top to bottom until combined.
• Pour into the prepared cake pan.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean and the cake has shrunk from the sides.
• Cool completely on a wire rack before inverting.

Tips/notes:

• Serve with tea.
• Your delicious cake can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for three days.
• Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds if you like.