There is nothing like cake to celebrate a special occasion and Imbolc is no exception. I think this round golden sponge cake is a wonderful addition to any Imbolc Feast! It’s kept gorgeously moist with brushings of lavender and rosemary syrup (between cake layers) but the slight tang of the Mascarpone icing keeps it from being overly sweet. But best of all, it’s filled with all kinds of food magic!
Imbolc is an ancient Celtic/ Gaelic holiday which celebrated the day the sun and fire goddess Brigid (Brigit, Brighid, Bride, Bridgit, Brídey) returned to earth bringing green to the land. I’m not going to delve into the lore of Brigid (and her later incarnation as St. Brigid) but you’ll find plenty of info here. What’s most important to the topic at hand is that Imbolc was the occasion of a great feast, “Brigid’s Feast” Feast of Light” “Feast of Fire” and all kinds of magical cakes were made in her honour. Feasting at Imbolc was all about offering thanks for a fertile crop to come. Round golden cakes symbolised the power of the sun, as did milk, cream, butter, eggs and honey.
Brigid was believed to be a teacher of ‘herbcraft” and so many plants and flowers sacred to her, such as sage, heather, violets, rosemary, angelica and blackberry were often featured in Imbolc foods. Each came with its magical purpose. Sun herbs like rosemary and lavender for example brought their powers of purification, protection and prosperity, which were ritual themes throughout all Imbolc celebrations.
I’m continually inspired by Imbolc lore, and this year to celebrate I’ve come up with this Lavender & Rosemary Seed Cake. I’ve added nettle and poppy seeds to the icing as it was traditional to bake all kinds of seeded bread and buns. These symbolized the growth of new life, so important at this time of new beginnings. (If you can’t find nettle seeds, just use poppy seeds – it will be fine!)
This is the time the earth stirs, preparing to give new life, and it offers us an opportunity to awaken from the quiet of winter and start making plans for the future. Making this cake can be a quiet ritual time, so when you’re creaming, beating and stirring, contemplate the seeds you wish to plant in the coming year. What will you nurture and bring into the world? Bake your intentions into this cake – and then ceremonially eat with friends – or alone! (Magical Baking Tip: stir batter clockwise for good luck and good health and counter-clockwise for banishing bad ju-ju.)
Today Imbolc is interwoven with St. Brigids Day and has been fixed to the dates Feb 1st (Imbolc Eve) and Feb.2nd (Imbolc Day) but it was originally a moveable feast determined by celestial alignments. Originally, Imbolc falls at the halfway point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, so the “true” date fluctuates here and there. But no worries, even if you’re still buried in snow – spring is officially on its way. So consider celebrating the coming of Brigid with a magical cake fit for a goddess – or a saint!
May Brigid’s blessings be with you!
Lavender & Rosemary Seed Cake
Ingredients
Sponge Cake
(Makes two 9-inch cake rounds)
- 4 ounces butter, melted and cooled, plus more for pans
- 1 ½ cups of flour (cake flour ideally), plus more for pans
- 9 largish eggs, room temperature, separated
- 1 ½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange zest
Pinch of salt
Lavender & Rosemary Syrup
- 1 tablespoon lavender buds ( this is a subtle amount, you can use more if you really like lavender!)
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 1 ½ cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
Mascarpone Icing
- 1 ½ cup mascarpone chilled
- ½ cup icing sugar
- 1 cup double cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon nettle seeds (just use additional poppy seeds if you don’t have any)
- ½ tablespoon poppy seeds
- (and a few extra seeds for sprinkling over the finished cake)
Directions
Sponge Cake
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper.
- Whisk together egg yolks and one cup of the sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Next beat this egg mixture with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla, orange zest and salt.
- In a new bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff, about 2 minutes. Fold one-third of egg whites into yolks, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Sift flour over top and gently start to fold in. When all is folded in, slowly pour in melted butter and fold just enough so that is blended and smooth. Don’t overwork or you’ll let out all your air from egg whites!
- Divide batter among pans and bake until a toothpick inserted in centres comes out clean, about 25 minutes After baking immediately invert the cake and remove parchment, then cool right side up.
- Cut each cake in half through the centre so that you end up having 4 layers of cake. You may have to take off the cake tops if they are too rounded, but it can get tricky, so try just to shave off any obvious bumps.
Lavender & Rosemary Syrup
- Place all your ingredients in a pot. Bring the mixture to a soft boil (not rolling) for 5 minutes. Then turn it down to simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for at least 10 minutes before straining plant material out.
Mascarpone Icing
- Whip chilled mascarpone with icing sugar and vanilla extract for 1-2 minutes until well combined. Then add your seeds, double/whipping cream and whip for 2 more minutes until stiff.
Cake Assembly
- To assemble the cake brush each layer generously with a coating of syrup and then just enough mascarpone cream to cover the cake layer. Don’t go crazy – you’ll need enough to ice the top and sides as well!
- Once the cake is assembled, spread icing over the top of the cake. Cover the sides, with the remaining mascarpone cream, then using the edge of a spatula scrape the mascarpone cream off the sides off the cake to reveal the sponge, thus creating the “naked cake” effect.
- Decorate the top with rosemary & lavender sprigs, sprinkle a few additional seeds and a few lavender buds.
P.S. You can find more recipes for Imbolc here.
