Corn Flour Tea Cake with Currants and Pistachios

Excerpted from Flavor Flours by Alice Medrich (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2014.

This not-too-sweet quick bread, or teatime loaf cake, is crusty and crunchy on the outside and moist and buttery within. The festive golden cake is laced with pistachios, currants, and fragrant aniseed. After a day or so, refresh slices for a few seconds in the microwave, or butter and then toast them — so decadent! Or toast slices and top with just a drizzle of honey or smear of marmalade. Serve with coffee or black tea with milk.

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 177° C (350°F).

   Combine the rice and corn flours, sugar, butter, and salt in the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on medium speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture has the texture of brown sugar, about a minute. Add the baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, and aniseed and beat at medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes; the batter should be very smooth and fluffy. Beat in the currants and nuts on low speed.

   Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and dry. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes then carefully turn out onto wire rack to cool completely. The cake keeps for up to 3 days at room temperature in an airtight container.