Ovens of Brittany Coriander Spice Cake
Along with the bride, this cake was the center of attention at many Madison-area weddings during the 1970s, ‘80s and ‘90s. It was usually decked out with an orange or lemon buttercream, but some Ovens of Brittany restaurant customers ordered it with a vanilla-rich cream cheese frosting instead.
Ingredients
Butter for pans
10 tbsp. butter, (5 oz.), softened
1 ⅓ cups sugar, (8 oz.)
3 large eggs
4 tsp. ground coriander
¾ tsp. ground cloves
¾ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. orange extract
flour, 1 1/2 cups plus 2/3 cup, divided
1 cup buttermilk, divided
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. baking soda
Frosting of choice: buttercream, cream cheese or powdered sugar
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 8-inch cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper and butter the papers.
Place butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with electric beaters at medium-high speed until mixture is fluffy-looking and lightened in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Lower speed and beat in eggs one at a time. Beat in spices and salt. Beat in vanilla. Finally, beat in orange extract.
Avoid overmixing during the following steps: Use a large rubber spatula to fold 3/4 cup flour into the butter mixture until barely combined. Fold in 1/2 cup buttermilk. Fold in another 3/4 flour, then another 1/2 cup buttermilk, and then the remaining 2/3 cup flour.
Finally, mix baking powder and baking soda with 2 tablespoons water. Fold this into the batter. Right away divide batter equally between the two prepared pans and smooth the surface of each. Place in center of hot oven.
Bake until toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on wire racks 10 minutes. Run knife around edge of each cake and invert them onto wire racks. Pull off the papers, invert cakes again and cool completely. (Wrap in plastic wrap so it’s airtight and store overnight at this point, if possible. This will develop the flavor more.)
Just before frosting the cake, use a long serrated knife to slice off the top portion of cakes to create two level layers. Frost between, around and atop the layers with your choice of icing. (If you’re adept with a pastry bag, you can also gild the lily, as it were).
Finally, brew some coffee and sip it while you eat the cut-off pieces of cake and admire your creation.
Suggestions
For best results, bring the ingredients to room temperature before beginning, and bake the cake the day before you plan to serve it.
It’s also wonderful with a powdered sugar icing.
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