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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    English Seed Cake

    Published: Jan 9, 2023 by Neriz · This post contains some affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    A slightly sweet, soft cake with a hint of caraway — that’s what you’ll get in every bite of English Seed Cake!  Excellent for afternoon tea or light dessert.  Enjoy it for your next break!

    An overhead shot of slices of classic seed cake, served with a cup of coffee.

    What is seed cake?

    It’s a traditional (ancient!) English cake and quite popular during the Victorian era.

    It’s a treat you can easily prepare, and all the ingredients are pantry staples EXCEPT for the caraway seeds.

    But you cannot skip that because the seeds give the cake its tempting aroma and distinct taste.  

    Caraway seeds for the British kitchen are almost equivalent to cardamom seeds in Swedish cooking —- a well-loved ingredient reminiscent of home.

    But hang on a second; you must go easy on adding caraway seeds when preparing this cake!  

    Remember that it should be a ‘subtle’ flavor — it should not overpower its traditional pairing, a cup of tea. 🙂

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    Ingredients

    All the ingredients you need to make classic seed cake at home.
    • Flour – you only need all-purpose flour for this seed cake recipe.
    • Butter – unsalted and softened.
    • Sugar – I strongly suggest using caster or fine white sugar when making this cake.
    • Eggs – medium-sized (63 to 73 grams per piece) and at room temperature.
    • Caraway seeds – note that you need to use seeds (as shown in the image above), not caraway in powder form.
    • Baking powder & vanilla extract – just use your favorite brands
    A closer shot of a loaf of seed cake, showing the texture of the inside of the cake.

    Preparation

    Start making English seed cake by preheating your oven to 180°C (350°F).

    Grease a 2-pound loaf pan with butter, dust it with a bit of flour, then set it aside.

    Using a large mixing bowl, combine softened butter and sugar.

    Combine the sugar and butter for creaming the base of the classic seed cake.

    Mix until you get a creamy texture.

    Add the eggs one at a time — continuing to mix in between each addition.

    Add the eggs one a time to the creamed butter and sugar, to make a softer English seed cake.

    Once all the eggs have been added, strain and add the flour and baking powder.

    Strain the flour and baking powder before adding to the rest of the ingredients for caraway seed cake.

    Add the caraway seeds and vanilla extract.

    Combining the caraway seeds with the dry and wet ingredients for the seed cake batter.

    Fold gently into the cake batter — just enough to combine with the rest of the ingredients.

    Pour the English seed cake batter into the prepared pan from earlier.

    Sprinkle more caraway seeds on top.

    Sprinkle some caraway seeds on top of the English seed cake before placing it in the oven.

    Place the loaf pan in the lower part of the oven for forty to forty-five minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.

    Remove from the oven and set aside for about fifteen minutes to cool.

    Your English seed cake is now ready for serving!

    An overhead shot of a freshly baked British seed cake, straight out of the oven.

    Helpful tips

    • When you cannot find any caster sugar, pulse your regular granulated sugar in a food processor repeatedly until you get a finer texture.
    • Remember not to overmix — just enough to combine everything in the cake batter.
    • Use an angled spatula to spread and level the top of the cake before placing the pan in the oven.
    • Make sure you use a serrated knife to cut a portion of the cake.  

    A regular kitchen knife will result in an uneven slice, potentially breaking the edges of the cake.

    An overhead shot of a newly sliced British seed cake, with some powdered sugar on top.

    Recipe variation

    • Whisky.  You can add a bit of whisky with the vanilla extract or skip the vanilla entirely — it’s all up to you.
    • Almonds.  Some add ground almonds to their batter as well.  You can also give that a try if you like almonds.
    • Other types of seeds.  Do not substitute anything else for caraway seeds; do not use their powder form, either.

    So how about it?  Give this recipe for seed cake a try this weekend! 🙂

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    Feature image for classic seed cake, which shows two slices of it served.

    English Seed Cake Recipe

    A slightly sweet, soft cake with a hint of caraway — that’s what you’ll get in every bite of English Seed Cake!  Excellent for afternoon tea or light dessert.  Enjoy it for your next break!
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: English
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour hour
    Servings: 10
    Calories: 267kcal
    Author: Neriz

    Equipment

    • Mixing Bowls
    • Pyrex Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Hand Mixer
    • Strainer for Sifting
    • Loaf Tin (2 lb)
    • Angled Spatula
    • Rubber Spatula

    Ingredients

    • 170 grams butter (6 ounces; about 1 & 1/2 sticks), plus more for greasing the pan
    • 170 grams sugar (2/3 cup)
    • 160 grams flour (1 cup), plus more for dusting the pan
    • 3 medium eggs
    • 2 & 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 3 teaspoons caraway seeds, plus 1/2 teaspoon for sprinkling

    Instructions

    • Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
    • Grease a 2-pound loaf pan with butter, dust it with some flour, then set it aside.
    • Using a large mixing bowl, mix softened butter and sugar until creamy.
    • Add the eggs one at a time while mixing in between.
    • Once all the eggs have been added, strain and add the flour and baking powder.
    • Add the caraway seeds and vanilla extract, and fold gently into the batter — just enough to combine with the rest.
    • Pour the seed cake batter into the prepared pan from earlier.
    • Sprinkle more caraway seeds on top.
    • Place the loaf pan in the lower part of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the cake.
    • Remove from the oven and set aside for about 15 minutes to cool.
    • Your English seed cake is now ready for serving!

    Notes

    • Cook’s Tip #1:  Do not overmix — make sure it’s just enough to combine everything in the cake batter.
    • Cook’s Tip #2:  Use an angled spatula to spread and level the top of the cake before placing the pan in the oven.
    • Cook’s Tip #3:  Remember to use a serrated knife when cutting the cake.  A regular kitchen knife will result in an uneven slice, potentially breaking the edges of the cake.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 224mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 496IU | Calcium: 67mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @foodandjourneys or tag #foodandjourneys!

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