Beltane Cake
- Ready In:
- 7hrs
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Serves:
-
12-24
ingredients
- 3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1⁄2 nut nutmeg, freshly grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 3⁄4 cup milk
- 1⁄2 cup brandy
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1⁄2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 ounce damiana extract
- 1 1⁄2 cups butter
- 1 lb dark brown sugar
- 6 eggs
- 375 ml amaretto liqueur
- cocoa powder
directions
- Have all ingredients at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a large bundt pan.
- Melt chocolate in a double boiler or microwave then set aside to cool.
- In a small bowl mix milk, brandy, vanilla extract, ginger and damiana extract.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter.
- Add the brown sugar to the butter and beat until fluffy.
- Beat the eggs, one at a time, into the butter mixture.
- When the chocolate has cooled to body temperature, mix it into the butter mixture.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and milk mixture to the butter mixture in small amounts at a time.
- Bake for 2 hours, or until done (knife test).
- Let the cake cool for 20 minutes, then remove from pan.
- Allow the cake to cool fully, then invert it into a bowl that is just large enough to hold it, but no larger.
- Pierce the cake bottom (now on top) in several (8-10) places with a skewer, being careful not to go all the way through.
- Pour about 1/5th of the amaretto over the cake. When it has all been absorbed, add another 1/5th of the amaretto. Continue until all of the amaretto has been absorbed by the cake. This will take at least several hours. Keep the bowl covered during this time.
- When all of the amaretto has been absorbed, gently invert the cake onto a plate. The cake is soaked with amaretto, thus every bump or brush will leave a scar, so treat it delicately.
- Dust the cake with cocoa powder until there is a layer of dry powder (the first applications will soak up moisture).
- Keep the cake covered until serving. It will get better if you wait 8-24 hours, but can be eaten immediately.
- This cake is very rich and intensely flavorful, so serve small slices. Also, you might want to let guests know that it contains a fair amount of alcohol.
Questions & Replies
Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
Have any thoughts about this recipe?
Share it with the community!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I work as a counselor in a group home and planning to study massage therapy next year. I have always enjoyed being a healer and nurturer and my various jobs have usually reflected this. This is also part of why I have a passion for food.
I currently live with a close friend and his partner and all of us are avid cooks with differing styles so we have a wide variety of tasty food all of the time. I have always had a passion for a full, uninhibited and adventurous life. My cooking reflects this; I always look for new ideas, techniques, cuisines, and ingredients to add to my culinary repertoire. I am a devotee of the slow food movement and use as much organic food as availability and budget allow me. I often have a membership in a CSA, although this year that will not happen because I recently moved.
Besides cooking and work, I love the outdoors, political activism, reading, live music, drum circles, and people.
I highly recommend "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" by Deborah Madison. I am not a vegetarian, but still find this cookbook to be a wonderful reference.