Wattle seed, from the pod of the Acacia tree, has a strong, nutty, coffee-like aroma, with hints of warm spice and dark chocolate. It has a similar flavour to roast to coffee with a savoury, wheaten biscuit background.
Indigenous Australians have been harvesting protein rich wattle seeds for over 40,000 years. Traditionally it was ground to make a flour, mixed with water and baked in embers as a type of hard cake.
Generally, the wattle seed that is available in spice shops today is partially ground. These grinds remain crispy when baked and give this cake a very subtle crunch – akin to crushed cacao nibs.
Malt extract is sticky and treacle like. It is derived from malted barley and is high in B Vitamins and Amino Acids. It is naturally sugar free but it is very sweet and at the turn of the last century, before the advent of cheap Australian-grown sugar, it was a popular baking ingredient. Today it can be found in some supermarkets and most health food shops.
In this recipe the malt extract reduces the amount of sugar required whilst deepening and enriching the wattle seed. It also adds a delightful old-school malt taste and gives the cake a gloriously dark hue and caramel like edges.
Buttermilk provides a moist, tender crumb and a slightly fudgy texture. Lately I’ve found myself adding it to a lot of recipes. Like sour cream, creme fraiche or yoghurt, buttermilk is fabulously tangy. Being only slightly thicker than milk however, it gives flavour and moisture without weighing down the cake too much.
After a few experiments I settled on a simple honey cream cheese icing to pair with, but not overpower, the wattle and malt. I encourage you to find a local, raw honey with an intense flavour. It needs to be strong so it doesn’t get lost in the cream cheese; look a for a honey made by bees that are harvesting from a gum or native shrub blossom. Raw honey, whilst tasting a billion times better and being much better for you, is also nice and hard, which ensures the icing won’t get too runny when it is added.
The salted white chocolate crumble around the edge adds texture and is also a whole lot of fun make. But be warned it is insanely addictive! It keeps for a couple of weeks in an air tight container so make extra to sprinkle over your ice cream!
Notes:
Makes two 20cm cakes, iced and filled.
To make a single cake halve all ingredients.
FOR THE CAKE
300ml buttermilk
4.5 teaspoons ground wattle seed
375g plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons bicarb soda
1.5 teaspoons salt
190g butter at room temperature
125g caster sugar
4 tablespoons malt extract
5 eggs
~
Pour the buttermilk into a jug and mix in the wattle seed. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 175c.
Butter and line the bottom and sides of two 20cm round cake tins. Set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt together into a medium sized bowl. Set side.
In a large sized mixing bowl beat together the butter and caster sugar for a couple of minutes until pale and creamy.
Add the malt extract and beat for another minute.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each is well incorporated. You may need to scrape down the sides of your bowl a couple of times.
Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk, beating on low, until thoroughly combined.
Divide batter evenly between the two cake tins.
Place on the central shelf of the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until risen, golden and a skewer or toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Check on the cakes at 25-30 minutes to see how they are going – ovens can be variable!
Partially cool the cakes in their tins before turning them out onto a cake rack.
Allow to completely cool before cutting or icing.
While the cakes are baking make the icing and salted white chocolate crumble.
FOR THE ICING
350g cream cheese slightly softened
75g unsalted butter at room temperature
500g icing sugar
75g raw honey
~
In a large bowl beat together the cream cheese and butter for several minutes until smooth and creamy.
With the mixer running gradually add the icing sugar in half cupfuls at a time.
Once smooth beat in the raw honey for a few minutes until it is completely mixed and the icing is smooth and silky.
Taste it - add more honey or cream cheese or sugar as you desire. Depending on the honey you use the results will vary widely.
If you’re working in a warm kitchen you may want to pop the icing into the fridge for a while before using it.
FOR THE SALTED WHITE CHOCOLATE CRUMBLE
70g white chocolate
100g caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons sea salt
~
Finely chop the white chocolate into 5mm pieces.
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and place over a medium-high heat.
Allow the sugar to boil to 130c. Do not stir.
Once it reaches 130c remove it from the heat and add the white chocolate and salt. Stir quickly and vigorously with a spoon until it hardens and forms chunks.
Tip it onto a heat-proof plate and allow it to cool. Soak your pan and spoon now, it’ll make the clean up easier!
Once the white chocolate mix is completely cool break it into crumbs as big or small as you desire.
TO ASSEMBLE
Make a cup of tea.
If the cakes have peaked during baking use a very sharp knife to cut the domes off both cold cakes. Optionally, you can leave the cake that will be the top layer with its dome in tact if you don’t mind that hump look!
Eat the bits you’ve just cut off with the above cup of tea.
Spread a few big spoonfuls of the icing on top of one of the flat cakes and spread it evenly to the edges.
Place the other cake on top.
Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of of the cake.
If it is a hot day and the icing is runny pop the cake and icing in the fridge for wee while.
Alternatively, if it is cold (or you forgot your icing in the fridge) and your icing has hardened before you got round to spreading it, dunk a spoon and butter knife in boiling water, wipe dry, and quickly use, repeating the dunk and wipe process regularly along the way. That hot knife/back of spoon can also be used to make pretty swirls or swoops across the top – a hot palette knife would be even better but don’t rush out and buy one if you don’t have one, the effect can be created just as well with what you already have in your cutlery draw.
Once the icing has set sprinkle the salted white chocolate crumbs around the base of the cake.
Decorate as you desire. I used freshly foraged wattle!