Old fashioned caraway seed cake

Name: Old fashioned caraway seed cake
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 175g butter, softened; 175g caster sugar; 3 eggs, medium; 225g self raising flour; 2 tbsp caraway seeds; 2 tbsp mixed candied peel, finely chopped; 2 tbsp milk; 1 tbsp caster sugar, for the top

A buttery Victorian teatime cake with a gentle aniseed hum from caraway and a sweet crumb. Best with a pot of tea.

Time1 hr 20
LevelEasy
Costabout £0.32 a head
Oven160°C (140°C fan)

Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.

10 slices

Ingredients

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175 gbuttersoftened
175 gcaster sugar
3eggsmedium
225 gself raising flour
2 tbspcaraway seeds
2 tbspmixed candied peelfinely chopped
2 tbspmilk
1 tbspcaster sugarfor the top

Method

1
Heat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan). Grease and line an 18cm deep round cake tin with baking paper.
2
Beat the butter and 175g sugar for 3 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, with a spoonful of flour each time.
3
Fold in the rest of the flour, the caraway seeds (keep a few back), the candied peel and the milk.
4
Spoon into the tin and level. Sprinkle the top with the remaining caraway and the tablespoon of caster sugar.
5
Bake for 1 hour, until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Cover with foil if the top browns too fast.
60 min
6
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.