armenian nutmeg cake

Another baking day which started off with magnificent success.  In fact a miracle.  My raspberry madeleines, after many trials and tribulations have developed their signature peaks. I followed Rachel Khoo's recipe and left the mixture in the fridge for two days, and this time baked the madeleines in a fan oven at 20C lower, and voila the magic occurred! Elsewhere on the baking front I baked a tray of Rose Bakery's hazelnut brownies, almond and rhubarb cake, chocolate bourbon cake and the armenian nutmeg cake.  This simple cake with simple ingredients from my friend Daphne, who has been baking it for most of her 45 years of married life, is surprisingly popular and lovely (her friend gave it to her in the early years of her marriage as she had no idea how to cook, and it is apparently foulproof).  We were debating whether to rename it to sell in the shop maybe 'Daffy's Nutty Cake' or 'Upside Down Crumble Cake'?  The jury is still out on the name but here is the recipe. You can use any nuts which are floating around in your cupboard... today I used walnuts and hazelnuts:

ARMENIAN NUTMEG CAKE

Courtesy of the Australian Women's Weekly 'sweet old fashioned favourites'. Armenian cooking is noted for it's use of spices.  In this recipe nutmeg adds fragrance to a not too sweet cake that cooks in two layers. 

1 cup SR flour

1 cup plain flour

1 tsp ground nutmeg

125g butter

1 1/2 cups of lightly packed brown sugar

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3/4 cup milk

1 egg lightly beaten

1 cup chopped pecans, walnuts or any nuts you fancy

Grease and line a 20X30cm tray about 2 inches deep.

Sift flours and nutmeg into a large bowl.  Rub in butter and mix in sugar. Press 1 1/2 cups of the mixture into the prepared tray.

Stir combined soda and milk into remaining dry ingredients with the egg and nuts.  Mix well and pour into the tray on top of the first layer.

Bake at 160C for 35-40 minutes.  Stand for 5 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack and cool.

Cut into squares when cool.


Life has got a habit of not standing hitched. You got to ride it like you find it. You got to change with it. If a day goes by that don't change some of your old notions for new ones, that is just about like trying to milk a dead cow.
Woody Guthrie