Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 TBSP ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground Szechuan peppercorns
• 1/8 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
• 8 ounce unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temp
• 1/2 TBSP rose water
• 1 TBSP pure vanilla extract
• 1 TBSP cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
Directions
Green Szechuan peppercorns are very strong flavored, so you only need a few, as you can see. If you don't have access to them, you can use 1/8 teaspoon fresh, finely ground black pepper.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Fit a 9x5" loaf pan with a strip of parchment so that it comes up the sides. This parchment will act as a handle, and prevent the batter from spilling over the loaf pan. Butter the sides. Set aside.
3. Whisk together all the dry ingredients: the flour, baking powder, sea salt, cardamom, ground Szechuan pepper or black pepper if using, and the nutmeg. Set aside.
4. Using your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until fluffy, add the sugar, and cream until the mixture is pale yellow and aerated. Add the eggs one at a time, and beat into the mixture well so that it's fully incorporated before adding the next. Give the bowl a scrape at least once after each added egg. Add the rose blossom water and vanilla after the last egg is added.
5. When the mixture is thoroughly mixed, fold the flour in by hand carefully, so as not to overwork the batter. The batter will be thick.
6. Pour batter into loaf pan and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
7. Place on an insulated sheet pan, or two sheet pans stacked, and place in the oven. Bake until golden and when a thin blade inserted into the center of it comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Start checking after 1 hour.
8. Cool for 20 minutes in the pan on a wire rack before turning it out of the pan.
