Life is full of flavors, either sour or sweet, the taste of which only you can savor. If the baking dessert is compared to life, if only sour, sweet and salty, it is too monotonous, then, add some spices with mysterious color, it will be used appropriately, for your baking desserts to add some unique smell.

Spices, also known as aroma raw materials, can be smelled or tasted out of the flavor of the substance. There are many types of spices, generally categorized into natural and artificial spices, with a wide range of applications.

For example, thyme, rosemary and basil in Western cuisine, and fennel, pepper and star anise in Chinese cuisine add unique flavors to ingredients, and when spices meet with baked desserts, they bring a different taste experience to the tongue.

Today, we’ll talk about a few other spices that are commonly used in baking desserts ~ understand these raw materials in order to better utilize them in practice.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is an evergreen tree plant, with medicinal and food value, its odor bitter, nutmeg seed acid slightly bitter, the more common on the market is the powdered nutmeg powder and the whole nutmeg kernel, the use of the whole nutmeg kernel can be ground into powder.

✔ Nutmeg is used in baked desserts:
● Nutmeg smells, has a sweet aroma, tasting slightly bitter, applied in baking desserts, not only has the effect of sterilization, but also eliminates the fishy taste in dairy products, be careful not to use too much, otherwise it will cover the desserts unique flavor.

● Its application is similar to that of cinnamon powder, and it can also be mixed with cinnamon powder and applied to products.

✔ Preservation:
Similarly, nutmeg should be kept sealed in a cool, dry place.

Cardamom.

Cardamom, a perennial herb in the ginger family, is quite different from nutmeg, having an aromatic (floral, sweet, and lemony) yet slightly bitter and pungent odor. Commercially available cardamom comes in powdered form and air-dried whole pods.

✔ Cardamom is used in baked desserts:
● Cardamom has a wide range of applications, both in stews, curries, and cream teas, and in baked goods such as cardamom pound cake.

● When using cardamom, the powdered form can be used straight away, while the whole pods need to be crushed with a knife.

✔ Preservation:
As with many spices, it needs to be stored airtight in a dry, cool place to lock in its flavor well.

Anise.

Star anise, also known as aniseed, a plant of the genus Anise in the family Magnoliaceae, has both edible and medicinal value, with a sweet, aromatic flavor. Because of its characteristic strong flavor, it is usually sold in the market in its whole state.

✔ Anise used in baked desserts:
● In baked desserts, it is often boiled with liquid ingredients and can be used to make spice-flavored creams, taking care that it needs to be taken out after boiling, leaving only its flavor in the liquid.

● Anise is also sometimes used as a finish on a finished product to accentuate the theme of that product.

✔ Preservation:
It needs to be kept sealed in a cool, dry place.

Kudzu.

Kudzu is a type of spice that resembles dill in appearance and is close to cumin in flavor, and like many spices, it is both food and medicine. Kudzu seeds are the seed part and are found all over the world.

✔ Kudzu applications:
● Germans use kudzu most often in cooking, such as the most famous rye bread, whose aroma comes not from the rye but from the kudzu.

● The spice cake in the authentic English afternoon tea is also made by mixing cinnamon and kudzu to add a unique flavor to the cake.

✔ Preservation:
It needs to be stored airtight in a cool, dry place.

Cranberry Wreath Bread

✔ Dough ingredients.

400g milk, 110g butter, 14g dry yeast, 110g granulated sugar, 750g flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cardamom powder, 4 teaspoons pearl sugar or coarse sugar (for decoration before baking), 1 egg (for decoration before baking).

✔Filling ingredients.

110g softened butter, 90g sugar, 250g fresh cranberries, 200g white chocolate.

✔ Directions.
1, low temperature heat to melt butter, then add milk, when the mixture is warm (about 38 degrees) off the heat and add dry yeast, mix well;

2, mix the flour, sugar, salt and cardamom powder in a large bowl, dig a well in the center of the flour and pour in the liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon to get a rough dough, when the dough becomes less sticky take it out and knead it for about 6 minutes; if the dough is too sticky sprinkle it slightly with flour;

3: Transfer the dough to a bowl, seal it well, and let it rise in a warm, moist place for 45 minutes;

4: Next, prepare the filling: In a bowl, beat the room temperature softened butter and sugar until a smooth paste is formed;

5: When the dough has doubled in size, take it out and roll out the air into a large rectangle of about 3 thick mm, then spread the filling evenly over the dough, leaving a 1cm blank edge. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the top, and finally sprinkle the cranberries evenly over the top. Gently press the cranberries and chocolate into the dough (to prevent them from falling out when you cut them);

6: Roll up the dough from one long side to get a long strip. Turn the interfacing side down and cut the dough evenly in half;

7: Pinch up the tops of one side of both long strips, then weave them into a spiral by intertwining them in a smooth manner and pinching up the last top again, wrapping it around to form a circle and hiding one joint under the other to form a nice circle;

8: Let the dough cover and let it rise for 20 minutes in a warm place for the second fermentation, and finally brush the dough with egg wash and crushed sugar; bake at 190˚C/180°F for 20 minutes until the bread turns golden brown (the exact time will depend on the state of your own oven temperament).