Double post today! Mostly because I'm a sucker for attention and Carrie made a request.
A little background: A little over a year ago when I moved from Chicago to Portland, my Chicago friends and I had a huge barbecue. This involved about two straight days of cooking, at the end of which I decided I hadn't had enough. I was, however, out of recipes. So... I made this cake. It consists of a basic cake batter which I then add half the spices in my drawer to and, if I'm feeling ambitious (today I wasn't), I add a lightbulb. This final detail is key if you want the real Random Cake Experience.
I post this recipe in honor of my fabulous Chicago room mate, Carrie. She really needs to get her butt to the West Coast.
Ingredients:
2c flour (I use one cup regular unbleached, one cup whole wheat pastry)
1c brown sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cardamom seed, shelled and crushed to smithereens. (if you're lucky, you have a mortar and pestle. If you're me, you disturb you apartment complex by smashing the bejesus out of it with a hammer.)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tsp ginger (fresh or powdered)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1c milk
1 stick (1/2 c) butter
Preheat the oven to 375˚ F and grease a bread pan. Or a cake pan. Or some muffin tins. Your choice, just adjust the time for how deep the batter is in the pan.
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add the spices and integrate evenly.
Cream the butter. Add the sugar gradually until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and beat until well mixed and not lumpy. Add the vanilla and mix more some more.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix til combined and not lumpy.
Pour into the baking pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for half an hour.
