VegetarianEast Midlands English cuisine Baking

Northamptonshire Seed Cake

Name: Northamptonshire Seed Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: East Midlands English
Ingredients: 175 g Unsalted butter; 175 g caster sugar; 3 item large eggs; 225 g self-raising flour; 0.5 tsp ground mace; 0.25 tsp Fine sea salt; 2 tbsp Caraway seeds; 30 ml Whole milk; 1 tbsp demerara sugar

A traditional buttery sponge speckled with aromatic caraway seeds and finished with a crunchy sugar crust.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· East Midlands

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 50 min
Total: 70 min
Servings: 8
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 330 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 9 gathered

Servings

175 g Unsalted butter — softened, plus extra for greasing
175 g caster sugar — fine white sugar
3 item large eggs — at room temperature, lightly beaten
225 g self-raising flour — sifted
½ tsp ground mace — or ground nutmeg
¼ tsp Fine sea salt — pinch
2 tbsp Caraway seeds — whole seeds
30 ml Whole milk — about 2 tbsp
1 tbsp demerara sugar — coarse brown sugar for topping

Equipment

•20cm round loose-bottom cake tin
•greaseproof paper
•mixing bowl
•electric hand whisk
•wire cooling rack

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 330 kcal
fat: 16 g
carbs: 42 g
fibre: 1.5 g
protein: 5 g
calories: 330 kcal

Instructions

1
Preheat your fan oven to 160°C and line a 20cm cake tin with greaseproof paper.
2
Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.
3
Add the beaten eggs gradually, whisking well after each addition to prevent curdling.
4
Sift the self-raising flour, ground mace, and salt into the creamed butter mixture.
5
Add the caraway seeds to the bowl.
6
Fold the ingredients gently using a metal spoon until just combined.
7
Stir in the milk until the batter reaches a soft dropping consistency.
8
Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and level the top gently.
9
Scatter the demerara sugar over the surface for a crisp topping.
10
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden and an inserted skewer emerges clean.
11
Cool the cake in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

Chef's tips

Ensure the butter and eggs are at room temperature to stop the cake batter curdling during mixing. If the top browns too quickly before the centre is fully baked, cover loosely with a piece of foil.

Ingredient substitutions

self-raising flour → 225g plain flour sifted with 2.5 tsp baking powder
ground mace → ground nutmeg

Storage

Store in an airtight cake tin at room temperature for up to five days.

Reheating

Warm individual slices under a gentle grill or in an oven at 150°C for three minutes.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Over-mixing the batter after adding flour, which makes the crumb heavy and dense.
•Using old caraway seeds that have lost their aromatic oils and distinct fragrance.
•Opening the oven door too early, which causes the centre of the cake to sink.

Serving suggestions

Slice thickly and serve with a hot cup of loose-leaf English breakfast tea.Spread a generous layer of salted farmhouse butter over each slice.Serve slightly warm with a spoonful of clotted cream.