Earlier this year, Justin from MarxFoods introduced me to a wonderful spice, fennel pollen, which I featured for the special February Fennel Pollen Friday posts, exploring both savory and sweet sides of this intriguing spice.
I now use fennel pollen regularly and really enjoy it in a variety of dishes. My newest creation featuring fennel pollen is this coffee cake with apples and raisins.
Typically, cinnamon would be the spice of choice for a cake like this. However, this time I decided to try something different and chose to spice the cake up with fennel pollen. It was a huge hit! The complex flavors of fennel pollen really enhance the traditional apple and raisin combination, and the cake is unbelievably delicious and seriously addictive. Thankfully, it is actually a healthy treat as I use low fat sour cream and no butter. Also, there are more fruits than the batter, making it very light and moist. This is a treat I will be making again and again!
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons fennel pollen (you can get it here)
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/2 cup raisins
3 cups of fuji apples, chopped in small chunks
Brown sugar (or demerara sugar) for topping
Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and fennel pollen in a bowl. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and sugar, then whisk in the sour cream. Mix the flour mixture into the egg and sour cream mixture. Fold in raisins and apples.
Pour into a well-greased round 9-inch cake springform pan. Sprinkle generously and evenly with brown sugar.
Bake on 350ºF for about 35 minutes or until the tester comes out clean.
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I'm currently away on our summer trip and have scheduled this post for you to enjoy in my absence. I'm looking forward to getting your feedback about this dessert!
