Friday, May 18, 2012

Wood-stove cake

Last week I tried something new. “Baking” brownies from a box had worked well on the woodstove before Lent, and my husband had worked a long day in the chilly rain, so in hopes of giving him cozy, tasty surprise, I attempted a stove-top cake. I used a basic recipe, added cardamom and an extra splash of vanilla, poured the batter into my smaller cast iron pan and stuck it on the wood-stove with a tin plate as a lid. I had to keep an eye on the stove, but about 20 minutes later the cake was done. The yurt smell lovely, and my husband came home to fresh cake and hot coffee; though he had to share most of it with Petka, who has a possessive attitude toward all food.

Wood-stove Cardamom cake

Sift together 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose or cake flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder. Set aside.

Cream 1/4 cup butter with 3/4 cup turbinado or demerara sugar, add a liberal drizzle of vanilla and about a 1/4 a teaspoon of ground cardamom.

Mix in one beaten egg

          Add half the flour mixture, mix in with 1/4 cup milk.

Add the rest of the flour mixture and another 1/4 cup milk.

Mix batter and pour into a buttered and floured cast iron frying pan. I used a 6 or 7 inch pan, which was ideal for getting the cake thoroughly baked without burning or drying out.

Cover with a metal lid, tin plate or cookie sheet - anything will do, the point is to make the pan into a mini-oven. Set on a stove that’s burning around 300 - 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. The time will vary based on the temperature of the stove, and how consistent you can keep it.

When the cake is done, remove from the stove, let cool and frost with

Cardamom butter-cream frosting

1/4 cup butter

 About 3/4 cup powdered sugar (this varies a lot depending on how thick you want your frosting)

 About 1/8 teaspoon cardamom

Beaten together until creamy

Enjoy!

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