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moroccan rose, fennel and chocolate cake

26 September 2013 by Dominic Franks

… we had the most incredible weekend in Morocco for what can only be described as the wedding of the century… it was a proper spectacular spectacular and so hard to put down in words just how magical it was but if you can imagine for a moment a crowd of very merry people surrounded by a lush oasis of palm trees in the middle of the North African desert… the groom riding down the aisle on the back of a bejewelled stallion and the bride carried aloft in a mother of pearl encrusted Sudan chair, with a swing band, a singing drag queen and an excommunicated rabbi you may be a little closer to the film-set inspired beauty that surrounded us… it was incredibly special…

me and the viking looking a little ‘ready to party’

moroccan rose, fennel and chocolate cake
with the teeny window we had between champagne glass and dancing I took a frantic trip into the infamous souk and was surrounded my the most intoxicating sounds, sights and of course smells of morocco… it’s everything you’d imagine it to be, both terrifying and exhilarating at the same time and this humble little cake brings together some of the classic spices and tastes of the trip… rose and fennel are everywhere and the orange honey is infused in almost everything you eat or drink… this cake will remind me of that wonderful trip whilst it lasts…

4 large free-range eggs
150g ground almonds
100g self-raising flour
250g butter – room temp
200g caster sugar
2 tablespoons orange blossom honey
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon rose water
100g dark chocolate pieces – i used some incredible Thornton’s orange and cardamom chocolate
pre-heat the oven to 170C
gently heat the fennel seeds in a frying pan for about 4 minutes to release their scent – do not let them burn!
in a large bowl beat the butter, honey and sugar until light and fluffy then add one egg and beat in followed by a third of the flour and almonds which you then beat in… continue this way until all the eggs and flour are used up remembering to push the sides of the bowl down between each beating to incorporate all the mixture… add the rose water when you add the final egg – then stir in the chocolate pieces.
pour the batter into your cake tin and bake for about 35 mins or until golden and risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean… remove from the oven and set aside on a cooling rack to cool completely.
get creative with the top of the cake by melting a little more dark and white chocolate and pouring overt the top…
eat and of course, enjoy!

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Filed Under: Cakes, Vegetarian Tagged With: chocolate, chocolate cake, honey, morocco, rose

Previous Post: « organic roast butternut squash soup with thyme focaccia
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Comments

  1. Sally Sellwood says

    26 September 2013 at 11:49 am

    ooo I am envious – have always wanted to go to Morocco. The cake looks damn fine.

  2. Jean says

    26 September 2013 at 4:32 pm

    Orange, rose, fennel, almonds, cardamom……
    Sounds like a heavenly cake.
    Glad you had a fab time…..love the photo of the two of you!

  3. The KitchenMaid says

    26 September 2013 at 7:37 pm

    GORGEOUS CAKE! Lovely photo of you and The Viking too. Cor, he's like a hero out of Game Of Thrones, isn't he?
    I went to Morocco at seven months' pregnant, which precluded some food adventuring, but it was still amazing. And yes, pregnant women still get hassled by touts for drugs and bloomin' camel rides!

  4. Kate D says

    26 September 2013 at 7:59 pm

    I LOVE Morocco ………… the sounds, smells, flavours, colours, are so inspiring. This cake looks absolutely divine! What a gorgeous combination of ingredients….

  5. Magnolia Verandah says

    26 September 2013 at 10:41 pm

    I have never put fennel seeds in a cake, but it has been popping up in so many things lately maybe I need to. Bought some lovely gouda with fennel seeds at the Royal Melbourne Show this week. Sounds like a spectacular wedding, great photos!

  6. Susan Lindquist says

    27 September 2013 at 1:40 am

    My Gawd, you lead such an exciting life!

  7. Keep Calm and Fanny On says

    27 September 2013 at 7:42 am

    Mmmm, looks gorgeous, and so great to get the back story too – you look right at home on the 'film set'! Thanks.

  8. Caroline says

    27 September 2013 at 7:51 am

    The cake and wedding sounds amazing – and it's really nice to see a picture of you both!

  9. Alison says

    27 September 2013 at 10:20 am

    ooh this looks lovely

  10. Jenn S says

    27 September 2013 at 12:19 pm

    in just the short little snipit you gave us, the wedding does sound incredible…. and speaking of incredible.. I'd love some of that cake right now!!! YUM!

  11. anna @ annamayeveryday says

    27 September 2013 at 1:17 pm

    This is a great post, very evocative and the cake looks amazing.

  12. Karen S Booth says

    27 September 2013 at 2:50 pm

    Delectable, delicious and divine, and the cake looks good too! Karen

  13. Phil in the Kitchen says

    27 September 2013 at 11:00 pm

    That's a fine, fragrant cake. I'm always happy to get a taste of the souk.

  14. Sue/the view from great island says

    28 September 2013 at 4:41 am

    What an incredible cake, and we need more photos of the wedding!!

  15. Cheryl Pasquier says

    28 September 2013 at 1:59 pm

    Ooh we were in Agadir over the summer and brought back some orange blossom honey (and thyme honey, and amlou !) so I may just have to try this 🙂

  16. Couscous & Consciousness says

    29 September 2013 at 12:56 am

    What a spectacular sounding wedding. I dream of visiting Morocco one day, and wandering the souks. Until then, I'm pretty sure this cake, with its flavours of almond, orange blossom, fennel and rose water, could transport me there in a heart beat.

  17. Kalyan Panja says

    30 September 2013 at 8:41 am

    looks delicious…just mouthwatering!

  18. Choclette says

    2 October 2013 at 8:03 pm

    That sounds like a weekend to remember. Glad your first trip to the African continent was a good one. Just love that picture of you and the Viking and that cake sounds pretty special too. Didn't know fennel was a particularly Moroccan thing. Will have to go out there one day and see it all for myself.

  19. mathew benham says

    29 November 2014 at 2:25 pm

    Looks amazing but what size tin?

  20. Anonymous says

    2 December 2014 at 4:35 am

    I have just cooked this cake, was rather disappointed as it did not say what size tin, it took a lot longer than the 35 minutes to cook and also stuck to my well greased, floured and non stick baking tin, needless to say it was way too brown on top – yet not cooked in the middle!! Also recipe failed to say add the Fennel seeds.

  21. belleau kitchen says

    2 December 2014 at 7:34 am

    Oh I'm so sorry! You're right. It doesn't say when to add the fennel (with the chocolate pieces) or the tin size which should be at least a 20cm tin I will correct this. Sorry the cake didn't cook through.

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My name is Dominic, I am a cook, food writer and creative event producer. I write the food blog Dom In The Kitchen and also write a monthly recipe column for Lincolnshire Life Magazine and Good Taste Magazine. I also run creative event production company The Persuaders, producing global events for brands since 1997. I am based both in the small village of Belleau in Lincolnshire and the smaller village of London! Read More…

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