Samhain

I had hoped to be more organised for this year’s Samhain but I’m still slowing unpacking and sorting through all the pictures I took on our recent trip.

Samhain (sow-in) is about celebrating the summer’s end, the darkening days and our loved ones lost. I wrote last year more about what Samhain is and how we celebrated. In fact, I promised to share the recipe for Honeyed Seed Cake and totally forgot so I’ll share it here. We eat this cake while reminiscing about times spent with our family and friends who have since passed away. In eating it we are “honouring the sweetness of life and the promise of life renewed”.

We’re heading to the local community party tonight for games, showing off costumes and seeing friends.

Honeyed Seed Cake

• 1 1/2 cup Sesame Seeds
• 1 cup All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 2/3 cup Butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup Demerara Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Honey
• 1/4 cup Milk (I use almond)

1. Preheat oven to 375’F and grease an 11 inch round or 10 inch square pan.
2. Toast sesame seeds in a cast iron pan, stirring constantly, until seeds are golden and slightly crackling.
3. In a small bowl combine flours and baking powder. Set aside.
4. Cream butter with sugar. Add eggs one at a time and then stir in honey and milk.
5. Add dry ingredients to wet and combine.
6. Fold in sesame seeds.
7. Pour into grease pan and bake for 12- 15 minutes or until firm to the touch but leaves a toothpick slightly coated.
8. While cake is baking, make the topping. When cake comes out of the oven, prick the cake all over with a toothpick and then pour over the topping.
9. Return cake to the oven and bake for 3- 5 more minutes and topping has been absorbed into cake and toothpick comes out clean.

Topping

• 1/3 cup Honey
• 3 tbsp Butter

1. While cake is baking make the topping by bringing honey and butter to a boil on the stove.

Whole Wheat Sugar Cookies

• 2 ½ cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• ½ tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Mace
• 1 cup Butter, room temperature
• 1 cup Sugar or Honey
• 3 Egg Yolks
• ¼ cup + Milk (I use almond)

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking powder and mace. Set aside.
2. Cream butter and sugar together.
3. Add one egg yolk at a time and cream after each addition.
4. Fold dry ingredients into the butter mixture.
5. Add milk and mix into a ball. Add a touch more milk if you need it to bring the dough into shape.
6. Cover and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 350’F and line baking sheets with parchment.
8. Roll out dough with a rolling pin between two pieces of waxed paper. Cut with cookie cutters and bake for 15 minutes or until as brown as you like them. Remove from cookie pan and cool on counter.

We don’t consume artificial colouring and flavouring so I was excited to try this frosting recipe. It was a hit with the neighbourhood kids but you don’t need it since the cookie recipe does well on it’s own. Of course a naturally orange and sweet frosting can be a lot of fun- especially at this time of year.

Yam Frosting Recipe

• 1 cup Yam, boiled or baked and then mashed
• ¼ cup Cream Cheese, softened or Silken Tofu
• 1 ½ tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
• 2 ½ tbsp Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp Orange Juice or Lemon

Cream all together until smooth and spreadable. I added a little beet root powder to a small amount of the frosting for a contrasted colour to do the pumpkins face. It’s the best I could come up with at the last moment.

Happy holidays!