Cakes and Pastries

Honey Cake

6c flour
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp salt
1c sugar
2 eggs
1/2tsp cloves
1/2tsp cinnamon
2c (1lb) honey (warmed)
1/2c blanched almonds
1Tbl milk

Top:
1 egg
1tsp milk
blanched almond halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and flour a 9x12 cake pan

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and spices. Chop nuts fine. Beat the eggs until light, and the sugar, then the warmed honey and finally the milk. Now add the flour mixture and almonds.

Brush top with an egg that has been beaten with 1tsp milk. Place split, blanched almonds on the surface about two inches apart.

Bake at 350 degees for about 50-60 minutes until a nice brown. While HOT cut into 2 inch squares (MUST be cut while hot, or don't bother trying!!)
This recipe is wonderful for the simple feast on any occasion but is extra special when doing a ritual involving Faerie magic

Pumpkin-Apple Streusel Cake
Apples:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups diced peeled cored Granny Smith apples (about 4 large)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cake:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup (firmly packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
Vanilla ice cream
For apples: Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples; saute until apples begin to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add sugar and cinnamon and saute until golden brown, about 3 minutes longer. Cool.
For cake: Preheat oven to 350F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Combine flour, brown sugar, butter, and salt in large bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat until mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside 2/3 cup of mixture for topping. Beat pumpkin, sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, spice, and baking soda into remaining flour mixture, beating just until smooth. Beat in eggs. Transfer batter to pan. Scatter apples evenly over top. Sprinkle reserved topping over apples.
Bake cake until topping is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 20 minutes. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides from cake. Transfer cake to platter. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.

Perfect for Samhain and any other ritual celebrating those who have moved on.

Wonderful Cornmeal
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
Procedure

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter 9 inch square baking pan. Sift flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and baking soda into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, butter and eggs in large bowl to blend. Add dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake until golden brown around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. (Can be made ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 weeks.)

Wonderful for harvest time rituals.

Hot cross buns, usually considered a traditional Easter food, may be very ancient. A wheaten cake marked with a cross was found in Herculaneum, preserved since 79, and may have been used in the spring rites.
1¼ cups of warm water
½ cup of soft brown sugar
4 teaspoons of dry active yeast
4 cups of flour
2 tablespoons of milk powder
2 teaspoons of mixed spice
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
A pinch of ground cloves
½ cup of dried currants
½ cup of raisins
¼ cup of mixed peel
50 grams / 2 oz of butter
5 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of water
1 egg
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 200°C, 390°F or gas mark 5½. Add the warm water to a medium sized bowl and stir in the brown sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast granules over the top and put aside. Melt the butter and set aside. In a large bowl or electric mixer sift the flour, milk powder and spices and then add the dried fruits. When the yeast mix is frothy add to the flour and fruit and pour in the melted butter. Mix to combine and knead by hand until smooth or for about 8 minutes using a mixer with dough hook. Cover and set aside to double in size or microwave for 10 to 15 seconds on high (this is a shortcut method to activate the dough). Cut and shape 15 buns and place in a warm greased baking tin. Lightly beat the egg and thinly coat the tops of the buns with the egg wash using a pastry brush. Place the buns in a warm place to continue rising for around 40 minutes. Mix 5 tablespoons of flour with around one tablespoon of water to make a firm dough. Roll into thin strips and place across the buns to form the crosses. Brush the strips with a little more egg wash. Bake for 20 minutes.

Fairy Cakes-Grimoire for the Green Witch by Ann Moura

1 cup Bisquick
1/8 cup Quick Oats
1/8 cup cornmeal
1/8 tsp. Almond Extract
2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 cup Milk

Stir all together; knead in bowl to form ball; form into 1 inch balls; bake 10 minutes at 425 degrees on ungreased cookie sheet.

Makes one dozen