I can’t believe it’s already been a month since the last installment of They Go Really Well Together. This time around the challenge was to come up with a recipe that combined the elements of strawberry and coriander, and boy do I think this was the most successful pairing to date!

I decided that I would try my hands at a strawberry jam cake, and blend the coriander in that way. Coriander is a peculiar flavour and not one that I work with often. Still, I thought its slightly citric quality would lend itself well to this kind of dessert and since I have also vowed to make as many cakes as possible this year, it was a win-win

From CulinaryCafe.com:

Coriander is probably one of the first spices used by mankind, having been known as early as 5000 BC. Sanskrit writings dating from about 1500 BC also spoke of it. In the Old Testament “manna” is described as “white like Coriander Seed.” (Exodus 16:31) The Romans spread it throughout Europe and it was one of the first spices to arrive in America.

Coriander is not interchangable with cilantro, although they are from the same plant. Ground Coriander seed is traditional in desserts and sweet pastries as well as in curries, meat, and seafood dishes with South American, Indian, Mediterranean, and African origins. Add it to stews and marinades for a Mediterranean flavor.

Working from this recipe for Country Jam Cake on the Kraft Foods website I started putting everything together. I ground the seeds shown above into a fine powder and used them to replace the allspice mentioned in the recipe. Mission accomplished! Unfortunately I forgot to incorporate the coconut into the cake dough, and by the time I realized my omission it was too late, so I worked it into the glaze instead. Yes, kinda gloppy in appearance, but it tasted good, and that’s what matters right? Next time I’ll try it with the coconut -inside- and see which version I prefer