Amara Cudney's Blog - Posts Tagged "spring"
The Crystal Bowl
The Crystal Bowl is my latest book. It is a fable based on Celtic mythology and has been so much fun to write and to research.
There are many commonalities between Christian and Celtic beliefs. In my research it was apparent that the Celtic traditions mirror many traditions that we have in our American culture today such as Easter and Christmas.
Most Celtic holidays are centered around the sun and its position to the earth. During the Spring ( Celts refer to as Alban Eilir) it is a time of balance, when light and dark join, and winter and spring meet as they pass each other across the equator.
excerpt from THE CRYSTAL BOWL
That morning when Adalyne awoke, the birds sang and she knew, the seeds would be sown today. For all life has consciousness and knows the way.
During my research I found that the Easter bunny was a symbol of Eostre, a great northern goddess whose symbol was the rabbit. Exchange of eggs also came from the celts who considered them to be a symbol of fertility and new life.
I believe as the Celts did that Spring is also a time of renewal and birth, a chance to begin again. The Crystal Bowl is a book about endurance, love and knowing that hate and anger will never win over love and compassion.
I'm in the next stages of editing and will keep you posted as to its release. Enjoy this season and enjoy this recipe for a Spring cake.
SIMNEL CAKE
Ingredients
100g/4oz glacé cherries
225g/8oz butter, softened
225g/8oz light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs
225g/8oz self-raising flour
225g/8oz sultanas
100g/4oz currants
50g/2oz chopped candied peel
2 lemons, grated zest only
2 tsp ground mixed spice
For the filling and topping
450g/1lb marzipan
1-2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed
How-to-videos
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/280F/Gas 2. Grease and line a 20cm/ 8in cake tin.
Cut the cherries into quarters, put in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper.
Place the cherries in a bowl with the butter, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, sultanas, currants, candied peel, lemon zest and mixed spice and beat well until thoroughly mixed. Pour half the mixture into the prepared tin.
Take one-third of the marzipan and roll it out to a circle the size of the tin and then place on top of the cake mixture. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top and level the surface.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 2½ hours, or until well risen, evenly brown and firm to the touch. Cover with aluminium foil after one hour if the top is browning too quickly. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
When the cake is cool, brush the top with a little warmed apricot jam and roll out half the remaining marzipan to fit the top. Press firmly on the top and crimp the edges to decorate. Mark a criss-cross pattern on the marzipan with a sharp knife. Form the remaining marzipan into 11 balls.
Brush the marzipan with beaten egg and arrange the marzipan balls around the edge of the cake. Brush the tops of the balls with beaten egg and then carefully place the cake under a hot grill until the top is lightly toasted.
Recipe by Mary Berry
There are many commonalities between Christian and Celtic beliefs. In my research it was apparent that the Celtic traditions mirror many traditions that we have in our American culture today such as Easter and Christmas.
Most Celtic holidays are centered around the sun and its position to the earth. During the Spring ( Celts refer to as Alban Eilir) it is a time of balance, when light and dark join, and winter and spring meet as they pass each other across the equator.
excerpt from THE CRYSTAL BOWL
That morning when Adalyne awoke, the birds sang and she knew, the seeds would be sown today. For all life has consciousness and knows the way.
During my research I found that the Easter bunny was a symbol of Eostre, a great northern goddess whose symbol was the rabbit. Exchange of eggs also came from the celts who considered them to be a symbol of fertility and new life.
I believe as the Celts did that Spring is also a time of renewal and birth, a chance to begin again. The Crystal Bowl is a book about endurance, love and knowing that hate and anger will never win over love and compassion.
I'm in the next stages of editing and will keep you posted as to its release. Enjoy this season and enjoy this recipe for a Spring cake.
SIMNEL CAKE
Ingredients
100g/4oz glacé cherries
225g/8oz butter, softened
225g/8oz light muscovado sugar
4 large eggs
225g/8oz self-raising flour
225g/8oz sultanas
100g/4oz currants
50g/2oz chopped candied peel
2 lemons, grated zest only
2 tsp ground mixed spice
For the filling and topping
450g/1lb marzipan
1-2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed
How-to-videos
Method
Preheat the oven to 150C/280F/Gas 2. Grease and line a 20cm/ 8in cake tin.
Cut the cherries into quarters, put in a sieve and rinse under running water. Drain well then dry thoroughly on kitchen paper.
Place the cherries in a bowl with the butter, sugar, eggs, self-raising flour, sultanas, currants, candied peel, lemon zest and mixed spice and beat well until thoroughly mixed. Pour half the mixture into the prepared tin.
Take one-third of the marzipan and roll it out to a circle the size of the tin and then place on top of the cake mixture. Spoon the remaining cake mixture on top and level the surface.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 2½ hours, or until well risen, evenly brown and firm to the touch. Cover with aluminium foil after one hour if the top is browning too quickly. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out, peel off the parchment and finish cooling on a wire rack.
When the cake is cool, brush the top with a little warmed apricot jam and roll out half the remaining marzipan to fit the top. Press firmly on the top and crimp the edges to decorate. Mark a criss-cross pattern on the marzipan with a sharp knife. Form the remaining marzipan into 11 balls.
Brush the marzipan with beaten egg and arrange the marzipan balls around the edge of the cake. Brush the tops of the balls with beaten egg and then carefully place the cake under a hot grill until the top is lightly toasted.
Recipe by Mary Berry
