Little Aniseed Cakes Recipes

STAR ANISE AND CORIANDER SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In an electric coffee/ spice grinder finely grind coriander seeds and star anise. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, ground spices, and remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and beat batter 3 minutes. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until cake pulls away slightly from side of pan, about 50 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and remove pan. Invert another rack onto cake and turn cake right side up. Cool cake completely.

ANISE CAKES

Steps:

• Beat eggs until light.
• Add sugar gradually, beating till creamy.
• Add vanilla; add anise oil now if using it.
• Sift flour with baking powder; add to mixture beating it well.
• If you use anise seeds instead of anise oil, add it now.
• Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets.
• Allow them to dry 12 hours or overnight.
• Bake for 12 minutes in 350 degree oven. Check to see if golden around edges. Do not allow them to get brown. Makes 50 1-1/2" cookies.
• Note: I use cooking spray or silicone sheets on cookie sheets---nothing sticks and no clean up.
• Cooking time included overnight drying time.

GLAZED ALMOND MINI CAKES

Steps:

• Set an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease the bottom of an 8-by-12 inch metal baking pan and line the bottom with parchment. Then grease and flour the bottom and sides of the pan. Set aside.
• For the cake: sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the salt and stir to combine.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 1 cup of butter and sugar and beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, as needed. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating on medium speed and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat to combine. On low speed, mix in half of the flour mixture, then mix in the milk. Mix in remaining flour mixture until just combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool slightly, then unmold and cool completely.
• To make the cake filling, using a serrated knife, cut the cake into an 8x8-inch square. Set aside. Crumble the portion of the cake that was removed and reserve 2 1/2 cups. Add the remainder of the cake crumbs to a large mixing bowl along with the remaining 1/4 cup melted butter, jam and almonds. Mix well (your hands are the best tool here) to make a spreadable filling.
• To assemble the cake, use a serrated knife to split the cake crosswise into 2 halves. Arrange both halves so they're facing cut-side up. Brush the cake with about 2/3 of the cooled almond syrup. With a small offset spatula, gently spread the jammy filling over the entire bottom half of the cake and top with the top half of the cake, cut side down. Press gently to adhere. Flip the cake so the flat bottom is now facing up, to create a flat top. Freeze the cake until firm, 1 hour.
• With a serrated knife, cut off the rough sides on the frozen cake and cut into 16 squares. Set the cake on a cooling rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Coat the cakes 1 at a time by pouring the icing around the edges and letting it drip down to coat the sides, then fill in the top. (Set the bowl over hot water and stir if it begins to thicken before you are done.) Top with sprinkles or non pareils before the icing begins to set.
• Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat and cook to dissolve the sugar, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the almond extract and stir to combine. Cool completely.
• Melt the chocolate chips or candy melts in a double boiler and stir until smooth.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the confectioner's sugar, corn syrup, hot water and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth. Add the melted chocolate and continue to mix to make a very smooth, pourable icing, about the consistency of molasses. Add food coloring as desired.

CHOMBOLINI (ITALIAN ANISE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with shortening and dust with flour.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Mix sugar and butter in a bowl with a spoon until creamy. Mix in eggs.
• Combine orange juice and milk in a separate bowl; pour into the sugar mixture. Stir in the flour mixture, anise, and lemon extract until well combined. Fold in dates and walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack for final cooling, 15 to 25 minutes.

TOASTED ANISE-SEED CAKE SLICES

Steps:

• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter and flour an 8- by 4- by 3-inch loaf pan.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
• Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of mixer at high speed until tripled in volume and thick enough to form a ribbon that takes 2 seconds to dissolve when beater is lifted, 12 to 18 minutes.
• Sift flour mixture over egg mixture in 3 batches, folding in each batch. Gently stir in cooled butter and anise seeds. Immediately pour into loaf pan and smooth top. Bake until top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool loaf 5 minutes, then invert onto a cutting board and cool 30 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, increase oven temperature to 400°F.
• Trim ends of loaf and cut loaf crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Bake on a baking sheet until undersides are golden brown, about 7 minutes. Turn toasts over and bake until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes more.

OLIVE OIL-ANISE CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat four 1-cup mini Bundt pans with cooking spray. Whisk eggs, yolk, granulated sugar, orange zest, and anise seeds in a medium bowl until foamy. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until combined.
• Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Fold into egg mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter evenly among pans, and bake until light gold and testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve warm.

ANISEED LOAF

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat the sugar, honey and oil. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to sugar mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in aniseed. , Pour into a greased 9x5-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

LITTLE ANISEED CAKES

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl sift together flour, sugar,and salt.
• Add anise seed.
• Blend in softened butter, then eggs.
• Roll out dough to half-inch thickness and cut into rounds or other desired shapes.
• Bake in 350 oven 18-20 minutes.