It is nearly Saturday so that means two things: Korean and Cake. Sometimes it is Korean and Cookies. We love our language class despite never finding enough time to do as much revision at home as we should. Last week I made an almond and cinnamon cake and this week it is banana, chocolate and walnut cake.
In writing up this recipe I had a slight dilemma because there is a secret ingredient in the cake which may or may not be easily obtainable, depending on where you live. It is a Korean powdered drink called 호두, 아몬드, 율무 차 walnut, almond, adlay tea.
Having been given a box of this and not knowing what to do, since the only hot drink I like is tea, I decided to include it in a cake batter. The result was really delicious and so I went out to buy more of the same when I was in Seoul. It is also readily available in any local Korean supermarket (see below for addresses in central London).
The ingredients include walnut, almond, job’s tears powder, peanut butter, sugar, rice powder, soybean flour and whole wheat flour. It was this combination that made me wonder if I could substitute this for a bit of the flour I would otherwise be using.
Of the ingredient called Job’s tears: who was Job and why did he cry? If you google Job, as I did, you will get a bucketload of advertisements for jobs (as in work) so you need to search particularly for Job’s tears. You will then get an article about this ingredient.
The real Job from the Bible had reason to cry because in a bizarre challenge, God allowed Satan to take every good thing away from Job, to see if he will then curse God. The only thing Satan was not allowed to do was to harm Job. Right at the beginning of his trials, Job said: Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.
The passage goes on to say that in all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing. However, Job’s friends turn up with unhelpful advice and reasons as to why he is afflicted by such bad luck. The phrase Job’s Comforter describes a person who, in trying to offer help or advice, says something that simply adds to the distress. There is a happy ending, and the conversations between Job and his friends merit reading for an exposition on the question we often ask ourselves in times of suffering: why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?
Back to the cake. This cake is really simple and you can substitute walnuts or pecan nuts for the almonds. I recently learnt a strange trick: if you score a straight line down the middle of the cake batter lengthwise before it goes into the oven, by some wonder the cake develops an artistic split in the middle whilst baking. I don’t always remember to do this but when I do, the result is really satisfying in a professional kind of way.
For the Cake:
175 g unsalted butter, softened
100 g golden caster sugar
3 large eggs
30 g milk
3 sachets walnut, almond, adlay tea (around 55 g)
120 g self-raising flour (white or wholemeal)
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
100 g skinned whole almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
You will also need a 2-lb loaf tin.
How to Make:
(for the conventional, non-Thermomix method of making this cake, please scroll right to the end of the post)
Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas 4. Grease and line the baking tin.
Weigh the butter and sugar into the Thermomix bowl. Beat 15 seconds/ speed 5.
Scrape down the side of the bowl and beat again 15 seconds/ speed 5.
Add the eggs, milk, tea powder, flour and cinnamon. Mix together 30 seconds/ speed 5.
Add the chopped almonds and mix 10 seconds/ REVERSE speed 5.
Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. A metal skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
The cake will slice into 10 thick or 12 medium-sized pieces – perfect for a sharing with friends.
How to make the cake in a conventional, non-Thermomix way.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/ Gas 4. Grease and line the baking tin.
Weigh the butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy.
Add the eggs, milk, tea powder, flour and cinnamon. Beat together until everything is incorporated and you get a smooth batter.
Fold in the chopped almonds and pour the mixture into the loaf tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until the cake bounces back when touched. A metal skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
Leave the cake to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
The cake will slice into 10 thick or 12 medium-sized pieces – perfect for a sharing with friends.
Korean supermarkets in central London:
Oseyo has branches in Tottenham Court Road, Camden High Street, Liverpool Road (Angel) and Waterloo Road.
Seoul Plaza has branches in Tottenham Court Road and Golder’s Green Road.