Whether you enjoy baking cookies, cakes, bread, or serving mulled wine and seasonal lattes, spreading festive cheer is always fun, and this festive cake will spread instant joy.
Infuse the anise star in milk over a medium heat for 15 minutes.Lighty warm the honey, then stir in the marmalades until well combined.
For the cake
Sieve all the flour, baking powder and starch. Add the light brown sugar, cinnamon powder and 5 spice mix.
Mix all dried ingredients on a low speed with the honey and marmalade mixture.
Add the eggs one by one.Add parcels of soft butter and increase the speed of the mixer to medium to obtain a smooth texture.
Add the salt and finish by adding the strained milk into the cake mix.
Prepare the baking pan cake by brushing with soft butter and dusting plain flour over the butter. Line parchment paper inside the buttered loaf tin.Transfer the cake mix into the baking pan (up to ¾).
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes.Lower the heat to 160°C and bake for another 30 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before unmoulding and cooling completely.When the cake is cold, brush with warmed lemon marmalade.
Notes
For this recipe we use a rectangular baking pan of 16x9x7cm and pour in ½ kg of the cake mix. If using a smaller baking tin, the baking time should be reduced.
Check if the cake loaf is properly baked by inserting a paring knife or a skewer into the middle of the cake; if it comes out clean then the cake is ready.