I wrote this post for the Goddess Cusine Collection over at Gather Victoria Patreon. I wanted to share it because the season of First Fruits will soon be upon us. Before the rise of Christianity, August was associated with pre-Christian Mother Goddesses credited with providing not just the grains and crops for nourishment but a cornucopia of medicinal herbs and flowers for healing. This recipe explores the divine feminine found in so much, if not all, Marian Lore. And that is why, inspired by the golden colors of wheat and the bright yellow and orange flowers of Mary’s Gold,  I baked this Calendula Sun Cake for Mary’s Feast of the Assumption.

August 15th commemorates the day when Mary rose body and soul into the glory of heaven and is usually followed with a post-service celebration of baked holiday goodies. Calendula flowers feature predominantly in this celebration, as do sheaves of wheat, bread, and round golden cakes.

Many Assumption shrines and paintings depict Mary clothed in a robe covered with ears of grain, a tradition dating to the Middle Ages when Mary was known as the Madonna of the Wheat. Today loaves of bread, round golden cakes, sheaves of wheat, and bouquets of her sacred flowers and herbs are still offered to the Holy Mother and blessed in Church before being taken home.

In medieval times, calendula was known as “Mary’s Gold’ or Marigold, as the flower petals were likened to rays of light crowning the Virgin’s head. “While the Virgin Mary probably possessed no gold to smooth her life in the household of the Holy Family, her golden crown circles the earth…Today Marian Flower Gardens around the world blaze with golden blossoms that honor her. Every marigold is a living memorial to her, a token of veneration and praise.”

Calendula frequently blooms during each of her festivals (Lady’s Day, Feast of the Visitation, Feast of the Annunciation, and most especially Feast of the Assumption) and so Marian celebrations are rarely without her golden blossoms.

During this time of the year, the Virgin Mary is often called the Lady of the Harvest. This is likely because her Feast of the Assumption took root in pagan First Harvest celebrations during which the goddesses of grain were honored with a cornucopia of new grain, fruits, herbs, and flowers. (You can find out more in the Harvest Edition of the Gather Cookbook; just click the link to download at the bottom of the post.) These were offered to She Who Provides the Fruits of Earth” in what can be described as an old rite of food magic – because they protected and blessed the upcoming harvest, granting the land, animals, and people fertility, good health, and abundance.

In magical tradition, calendula has long been considered a symbol of vigor, strength, and abundance, and no wonder. This versatile healing herb is self-seeding and continues to produce vigorous growth and blooms throughout most of the year, and if the climate permits, all year long (as it does here on Vancouver Island). In herbal astrology, it falls under the domain of the sun, and again, no wonder. Calendula is heliotropic; its flowers open with the appearance of the morning sun and slowly turn their head to follow the sun across the sky until closing at dusk.

Calendula (and sun herbs in general) were long renowned for their powers of revitalization, invigoration, and healing. The ancient Egyptians considered them to have rejuvenating properties, as did the Romans, and they have been a mainstay of European folk medicine ever since. Today we know Calendula is bursting with colorful sunny carotenoids, flavonoids, lutein, zeaxanthin, and beta-carotene. These powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients I suspect could be one reason behind old herbalists’ claims.

Today, sadly, the culinary uses of Calendula officinalis have fallen by the wayside. This versatile healing herb has a mild bittersweet flavor and was once so widely used as a condiment that it was considered the “herb-general of all pottage and “poor man’s saffron”. Petals, both fresh and dried, were used to give color and flavor to many types of cheese, butter, custards, broth, soups, rice dishes, and drinks. English housewives even made a special cheese from Mary’s Gold, and as early as the fifth century, calendula was part of every kitchen and herbal garden in France.

Native to Eurasia, one species of calendula grew wild in the Holy Land and was reportedly brought back to Europe by the Crusaders.  Interestingly, Mary Magdalen was also known by the name Mary Gold. According to the New Testament, Magdalene was renowned for gathering herbs and flowers for her fragrant oils and healing balms. I think it is likely she gathered calendula, which grew in the nearby hills of Galilee. She probably understood what many pharmacological studies demonstrate today: calendula extracts not only have antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory powers; they are a powerful topical skin healer.

Energetically, Calendula Floral essence is for “those who yearn for the radiance of the sun, or for when one feels unsupported by life. It promotes a sense of security when feeling unsafe or uneasy, and is good for attracting higher frequencies into one’s being and for alleviating energy depletion during periods of transition or consciousness-raising, as well as for counteracting resistance to conscious spiritual growth.” So I can’t help wonder if these “consciousness-raising” qualities are one reason Calendula symbolizes the Virgin’s Crown?

The earliest mention of Mary wearing a crown comes from the “woman of the Apocalypse” in Revelation: “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman adorned with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars” (Rev 12:1). The color gold is emblematic of the sun and divine power and signifies Mary’s Queenship over earthly and heavenly realms.

I think it is no coincidence that these same symbols, the sun, the moon, and the stars, once belonged to the ancient mother goddesses who taught the secrets of making bread to humanity. One such example is the Greek Goddess Demeter, one of the oldest Goddesses worshipped in Greece.  Her name literally means Earth–Mother, a title she shares with many goddesses whose grains and breads were the source of food and life, such as Isis, Cybele, Artemis, and Ceres.

This is why I invite you to celebrate Mary’s Feast of the Assumption with this Calendula Cake. Cakes and bread made with the “first fruits” were a central part of the first harvest festivals. Whether their symbolism is Christian or pagan,  I find it beautiful that the grain goddess(es) who brought forth growth and plant life, nourished us through the winter, and provided the seed for next year’s harvest still live on. As do her herbs, flowers, and healing arts, as symbolized in this cake by calendula, Mary’s Gold.

Be warned: this is an elaborate three-layer cake.  But let’s face it, no ordinary cake would do for the Queen of Heaven and Earth on her special day.

This Sun cake features the bright flavors of orange, which makes it the perfect August treat, as citrusy flavors are so refreshing on hot summer days. It is filled and topped with Orange Cream Cheese & Buttercream Frosting so each bite is tangy and creamy, and not overly sweet. Calendula petals are added directly to the cake, forming a kind of golden confetti, and are infused into melted butter used to create the frosting.

Mary’s Gold: Calendula Sun Cake

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 1 cup of fresh calendula petals *
• 4½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon, plus 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ⅔ cup salted butter
• ⅔ cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest -about 3 large oranges
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups fresh orange juice

For the Buttercream Frosting

• 4 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups cream cheese, room temperature
• 5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated orange zest
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 tsp of salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or dried calendula petals*
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric (for coloring)

*You can use dried or fresh petals for this recipe. If using dried petals in the cake, be sure to reconstitute them for 20 minutes or so in a bowl of water. Dried petals are better for use in frosting as they will add heightened color, but fresh can be easily substituted.

Directions

For the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 3 (8-inch) round cake pans or spray with baking spray.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, sour cream, and orange zest on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute.
3. Continually mixing, slowly add the sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides between additions.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the orange juice, to the butter mixture. Divide the batter among the pans.
5. Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, rotating the cake pan positions after 20 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes, then loosen the layers by running a knife between the cake and the edge of the pan. Invert the cakes onto a wire cooling rack and cool completely.

Orange Buttercream Frosting:

1. Melt butter and add calendula petals. Allow to infuse on the lowest heat setting for 20 minutes. Strain petals from butter (don’t forget to give them a good squeeze). Discard used petals. Allow the butter to return to room temperature before using.
2. Place calendula-infused butter in a bowl and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes more. Add remaining ingredients and beat for 5 minutes.

For the Assembly:

1. Place one cooled cake layer on a cake stand or plate. If necessary, cut off the round top using a large serrated knife. Using the frosting in a piping bag without the tip, pipe a single ring around the top edge of the cake, creating a frosting barrier. Then use a spatula to spread frosting over the cake within the frosting barrier. Top with another cake layer. Repeat with more frosting.
2. Place the remaining cake layer on top. Thinly spread just enough frosting on the top and outside of the cake to form a crumb layer.  Refrigerate the cake for at least 30 minutes, then use the remaining frosting to ice your cake. ( If you have never made a layer cake before, check out this instructional guide by the fabulous Erin McDowell)

NOTE: If you want to adorn your cake with sugared calendulas, pick a few flowers, and brush them with whisked egg white. Then gently press them into a plate of granulated sugar. Shake off excess and place on a wire rack, and allow to dry for 24 hours.

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