Anise Cakes Recipes

OLIVE OIL-ANISE CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat four 1-cup mini Bundt pans with cooking spray. Whisk eggs, yolk, granulated sugar, orange zest, and anise seeds in a medium bowl until foamy. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until combined.
• Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl. Fold into egg mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter evenly among pans, and bake until light gold and testers inserted into centers come out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire racks, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve warm.

SFOUF (LEBANESE TURMERIC CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with tahini.
• Combine boiling water and anise seeds in a glass measuring cup; let steep, about 5 minutes. Strain into a bowl; stir in sugar until dissolved. Discard anise seeds.
• Mix flour, turmeric, baking powder, and anise seed powder together in a bowl. Make a well in the center; mix in oil and butter. Stir in sweetened anise water until batter is the consistency of thick yogurt.
• Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Score top into diamond shapes with the tip of a knife; place 1 pine nut in the center of each diamond.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

CHOMBOLINI (ITALIAN ANISE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a fluted tube pan (such as Bundt®) with shortening and dust with flour.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Mix sugar and butter in a bowl with a spoon until creamy. Mix in eggs.
• Combine orange juice and milk in a separate bowl; pour into the sugar mixture. Stir in the flour mixture, anise, and lemon extract until well combined. Fold in dates and walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top of the cake springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Transfer cake to a rack for final cooling, 15 to 25 minutes.

STAR ANISE AND CORIANDER SPICE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter and flour an 8- by 2-inch round cake pan.
• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In an electric coffee/ spice grinder finely grind coriander seeds and star anise. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour mixture, ground spices, and remaining ingredients and beat on low speed until combined. Increase speed to high and beat batter 3 minutes. Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven until cake pulls away slightly from side of pan, about 50 minutes.
• Cool cake in pan on a rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto rack and remove pan. Invert another rack onto cake and turn cake right side up. Cool cake completely.

ANISE POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
• Grease and flour 10-inch tube or bundt pan.
• (I use the wrappers from the butter to grease pan) In a small bowl sift together flour and salt and then set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter with sugar, vanilla and anise seed.
• Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Add dry ingredients alternately with sour cream to mixture and beat well.
• Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 hour or until cake is golden and springs back when touched with fork.

ANISE CAKES

Steps:

• Beat eggs until light.
• Add sugar gradually, beating till creamy.
• Add vanilla; add anise oil now if using it.
• Sift flour with baking powder; add to mixture beating it well.
• If you use anise seeds instead of anise oil, add it now.
• Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets.
• Allow them to dry 12 hours or overnight.
• Bake for 12 minutes in 350 degree oven. Check to see if golden around edges. Do not allow them to get brown. Makes 50 1-1/2" cookies.
• Note: I use cooking spray or silicone sheets on cookie sheets---nothing sticks and no clean up.
• Cooking time included overnight drying time.