2000s Recipes + Menus

Toasted Anise-Seed Cake Slices (Trompe L'oeil "toasts")

Makes12 Slices
  • Active time:15 min
  • Start to finish:2 hr
April 2007
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 jumbo eggs
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons anise seeds, finely crushed
  • Special Equipment:

    a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment
  • Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter and flour an 8- by 4- by 3-inch loaf pan.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl.
  • Beat together eggs and sugar in bowl of mixer at high speed until tripled in volume and thick enough to form a ribbon that takes 2 seconds to dissolve when beater is lifted, 12 to 18 minutes.
  • Sift flour mixture over egg mixture in 3 batches, folding in each batch. Gently stir in cooled butter and anise seeds. Immediately pour into loaf pan and smooth top. Bake until top is golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool loaf 5 minutes, then invert onto a cutting board and cool 30 minutes more.
  • Meanwhile, increase oven temperature to 400ºF.
  • Trim ends of loaf and cut loaf crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Bake on a baking sheet until undersides are golden brown, about 7 minutes. Turn toasts over and bake until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes more.
Cooks’ note: Loaf can be baked (but not sliced and toasted) 2 days ahead and kept, wrapped in foil, at room temperature or frozen 1 month. Slice and toast just before serving.

Ratings

Comments

Post a Comment

Please be advised that Gourmet magazine will cease publication after the November issue.

Subscribers can look forward to receiving Bon Appetit magazine for the remainder of their subscription. The Gourmet.com website will remain available during a transitional period, and access to Gourmet recipes will also remain available via sister site Epicurious.com and the Epi iPhone application.

We regret any inconvenience, and look forward to your continued readership. For questions about your Gourmet magazine subscription, please follow this link to subscription services.

The Oct. 23-25 Gourmet Institute events will not take place. Additional information is available at gourmetinstitute.com.

If you purchased the GOURMET TODAY cookbook and would like to take advantage of the offer on the back flap, click here for more information.
Subscribe to Gourmet

Conde Nast Store
Give the Gift of Gourmet

Subscribe

Subscribe to Gourmet
Diary of a Foodie

From Vermont to Vietnam, take a global culinary tour with season three of our award-winning public television show, Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie.