RAS EL HANOUT LOAF CAKE TOAST WITH YOGURT AND SESAME SPRINKLES

Preheat the oven to 350ºf. if using a convection oven, preheat the oven to 325ºf. butter an 8 by 4 by 3-inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

in a small pot, warm the butter, treacle, golden syrup, and muscovado sugar over low heat until the butter is just melted. stir to combine.

sift the flour, ras el hanout, ginger, baking soda, and sel de guérande into a large bowl.

stir the molasses mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.

fold in the buttermilk and eggs. the ingredients must be well combined, but don't overwork the batter. a light touch is best.

pour the batter into the prepared pan. bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the center is set and springs back when pressed gently.

let the loaf cool to room temperature and wrap tightly in parchment paper for 2 days. this will make it nice and sticky. or give way to temptation and eat it straightaway. the flavors will be less concentrated, but the smell of it cooking makes waiting hard.

to make the cake toast, skip to the next step! if not making cake toast, use the glacé. to make the glacé, place the confectioners' sugar in a bowl and whisk the boiling water into the sugar, using just enough to get your desired consistency. stir in the ginger syrup. pour the glacé over the cake. if you have stemmed ginger, chop some and use as a garnish with a light shower of ras el hanout. candied or crystallized ginger would also be a lovely option.

for the cake toast, slice thick slices of the cake and toast it in a skillet over medium high heat with a little oil until browned and slightly crispy. top with yogurt, sesame seeds, and sprinkles. 

ingredients

1 c unsalted butter

1/4 c treacle or blackstrap molasses

1/4 c golden syrup, preferably lyle's

1/2 c dark muscovado sugar

2 c all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp ras el hanout (recipe follows), or 1 tsp ras el hanout and 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sel de guérande or other fleur de sel

2/3 c buttermilk, preferably full-fat and artisanal

2 eggs, lightly beaten

for the glacé:

3/4 c confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 tsp ginger syrup from a jar of stem ginger, or bottled ginger syrup

stemmed ginger, for garnish (optional)

for serving:

yogurt

toasted sesame seeds

sprinkles