Birgittas saffranskaka
https://fannyzanotti.com/saffranskaka/This recipe is adapted from my friend Susanne. Her mother-in-law - Birgitta - used to bake this cake every year around Christmas time. If I recall right, her recipe has a less sugar and she never soaked raisins, one thing that Susanne is also partial too. I also like to add grated almond paste into the batter, and a thick coat of slivered almonds on top of the cake before it goes in the oven. Sadly, I never got the chance to meet Birgitta, but I'm deeply grateful that her cake has become a tradition in our house as the very first thing we bake with saffron every year, not unlike a soft step into the Christmas season.
Makes 20 cm cake
Ingredients
- 100 g raisins
- 2 eggs
- 210 g caster sugar
- pinch of salt
- 100 g salted butter
- 0.5 g ground saffron read notes above
- 150 g gräddfil Greek/Turkish yoghurt or sour cream (read notes above)
- 180 g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 100 g almond paste coarsely grated
To top
- a handful slivered or flaked almonds
- icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C/fan 155°C. Butter and line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
- Before you get on with the cake batter, soak the raisins in boiling water and set aside.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar along with a pinch of salt until light and fluffy. In a small pan, melt the butter. Add the saffron (read notes above) and the yoghurt of your choice.
- Add the melted butter mixture to the eggs and mix well to combine.
- In a separate bowl, sieve the flour and baking powder. Drain the raisins and shake them thoroughly to get rid of as much water as possbible. Then gently coat them with a tablespoon of the flour mixture.
- Now mix in the remaining flour into the batter, folding with a silicon spatula. Add the raisins and grated almond paste, and pour into the prepared tin. Top with slivered or flaked almonds and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool slightly on a wire rack then unmould and dust with a thin coat of icing sugar.