Greenland

GREENLAND: Kalaalit Kaagiat

Like a nit, I forgot Greenland. This recipe I dedicate to my arctic-mad pal Elizabeth Withnall. This is described as a “Greenlandic Coffee Cake” so, whilst I didn’t make the boozy coffee part, I have included it in the recipe. 

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/4 cups water (1 cup boiling, 1/4 cup lukewarm)
1/4oz packet of dry active yeast
1 tablespoon milk (preferably full-fat)
1 teaspoon confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

Greenlandic Coffee

4 cups coffee
1/2 cup whiskey
1/2 cup Kahlua
1/2 cup Grand Marnier

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 F and set aside a pre-oiled baking dish.

Start by taking a small bowl and sprinkling dry active yeast over your 1/4 cup of lukewarm water, but do not stir! Simply let the yeast sit and bubble.

In a large mixing bowl, add raisins, sugar and butter. Once added, pour in a cup of boiling water. Take a spoon and mix the ingredients together and ensure the butter fully melts.

Pour the lukewarm water and activated yeast into the mixture. Check the water temperature in the main mixing bowl has reached room temperature. If it hasn’t wait a minute before pouring in the yeast since you don’t want to kill the yeast.

Slowly whisk everything together. As you whisk, slowly add the flour. Continue until the flour is fully incorporated. Cover the dough for 30 minutes to let the dough rise.

After 30 minutes, knead the dough for at least 3 minutes. You should feel a dough that is fairly easy to knead (without sticking to your hands). Form your dough into a ball and place into the oven. Let the cake bake for 25 minutes.

Just before your cake is finished baking, pre-mix your confectioner sugar and ground cardamom together.
Take the cake out of the oven and while still hot, brush the top of the cake with your tablespoon of milk.

While the milk is still wet on the top of the cake, sprinkle your mixture of cardamom and confectioner sugar then set aside and let cool.

To make the coffee mix the whiskey, Kahlua and Grand Marnier into a coffee pot.

To serve, take a piece of coffee cake, pour a cup of the coffee and (if you feel so inclined) add a dollop of fresh whipped cream.