Candied-Fennel-Topped Lemon Cake

Name: Candied-Fennel-Topped Lemon Cake
Prep time: 1 d 1 h
Cook time: 1 d 1 h
Total time: 1 d 1 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons baking powder; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 177 milliliters well-shaken buttermilk; 2 larges eggs; 1 small fennel bulb; 1 teaspoon fennel seeds; 355 milliliters all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest; 8 servings Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream; 1 teaspoons salt; 177 milliliters sugar; 1 stick unsalted butter, softened; 177 milliliters water

One serving contains 351 calories, 5g of protein, and 19g of fat. This recipe serves 8. This recipe covers 8% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 25 hours. It is a good option if you're following a vegetarian diet. If you have butter, baking soda, accompaniment: lightly whipped cream, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it.

Instructions

Lightly oil pan and line bottom and side with a large round of wax paper, pleating sides and trimming to fit. Lightly oil paper. Line side with a 2-inch-wide strip of wax paper long enough to wrap around inside of pan to cover pleats, then lightly oil.

Ingredients you will need

Wrap

Cooking Oil

Equipment you will use

Wax Paper

Frying Pan

Cut fennel bulb lengthwise with slicer into enough 1/4-inch-thick slices (about

Ingredients you will need

Fennel Bulb

to cover bottom of cake pan.

Equipment you will use

Cake Form

Cover fennel with cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Ingredients you will need

Fennel

Water

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Drain fennel and set aside.

Ingredients you will need

Fennel

Add sugar, water (3/4 cup), zest, and fennel seeds to saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar has dissolved.

Ingredients you will need

Fennel Seeds

Sugar

Water

Equipment you will use

Sauce Pan

Add fennel slices and very gently simmer until tender and translucent and liquid is syrupy, about 40 minutes. Lift fennel slices out with a fork and arrange decoratively in bottom of cake pan. If you have more than 1/3 cup syrup, boil to reduce; if less, add water. Cool syrup slightly, then pour (through a fine-mesh sieve if desired) over fennel.

Ingredients you will need

Fennel

Syrup

Water

Equipment you will use

Cake Form

Sieve

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy.

Ingredients you will need

Baking Soda

Butter

All Purpose Flour

Sugar

Salt

Equipment you will use

Hand Mixer

Whisk

Bowl

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in zest.

Ingredients you will need

Egg

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, and mixing until just combined. Gently spoon batter over topping, spreading evenly.

Ingredients you will need

Buttermilk

All Purpose Flour

Bake until cake is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center of cake comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cake in pan 15 minutes, then invert onto a plate and continue to cool.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Frying Pan

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cake is best the day it is made but keeps, wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature 3 days.

Ingredients you will need

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Plastic Wrap