Spring 2022

Makes 2 cakes, each serving 8
Active time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 1½ hours
Cooling time: 1 hour
Resting time: Up to 3 days
(optional, see Chef’s Notes)
Storage: Up to 12 weeks in the refrigerator or
6 months in the freezer
EQUIPMENT
2 × 12-in. (30-cm) loaf pans
Microplane grater
Stand mixer fitted with the paddle beater
INGREDIENTS
1 stick + 2 tbsp (5¼ oz./150 g) butter, diced +
more for the pans
12⁄3 cups (400 ml) water
1 cup + 3 tbsp (14 oz./400 g) golden honey
1¼ cups (9 oz./250 g) sugar
2 oranges
1 lemon
1 cup (3½ oz./100 g) sliced almonds
3½ tbsp (50 ml) anise syrup or 1 tbsp anise
seeds (see Chef’s Notes)
Generous 4¾ cups (1 lb. 3 oz./550 g) whole
wheat flour or 5 cups (1 lb. 3 oz./550 g)
rye flour
¼ cup (1½ oz./45 g) baking powder
Decoration (optional)
Candied orange peel, cut into thin strips the
same length as the width of the cakes
Finely grated orange zest
Extracted from French Pastries
and Desserts by Lenôtre: 200
Classic Recipes Revised and
Updated (Flammarion, 2021).
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/
Gas Mark 6). Lightly grease the loaf pans
with butter and line them with enough
parchment paper to leave an overhang.
2. Heat the water in a saucepan. Stir in the
honey and sugar until dissolved. Add the
butter and stir until it has melted.
3. Wash and dry the oranges and lemon.
Remove the peel in quarters from one
orange and cut it into small dice. Zest the
other orange and the lemon, preferably
using a Microplane grater, as the zest needs
to be very fine. Place the diced peel and
zest in a mixing bowl and add the almonds
and anise syrup or seeds. Stir to combine.
4. Sift the flour and baking powder into
the bowl of the stand mixer. With the
mixer running on low speed, gradually
incorporate the first mixture. Sprinkle in
the citrus peel/almond/anise mixture and
beat until combined.
5. Divide the batter between the pans.
Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the
temperature to 340°F (170°C/Gas Mark
3) and bake for an additional 1 hour, or
until the tip of a knife pushed into the
center of each cake comes out clean. If
the cakes brown too quickly, cover them
with aluminum foil.
6. Cool the cakes in the pans for at least 1
hour, before serving. If possible, let them
rest overnight or up to 3 days, still in
their pans (see Chef’s Notes). If wished,
decorate the tops of the cakes with strips
of candied orange peel and sprinkle over
finely grated zest before serving.
Chef’s Notes
• There is no need to grind the anise seeds, as
they will disintegrate as the cake bakes.
• Although the spice cakes can be eaten 1
hour after being removed from the oven,
they will be easier to slice and their flavors
will have had time to develop if they are
stored in their pans for 2–3 days.
The Good Life France | 117