Lemon and Strawberry Slices

Refreshing cakes are just the kind of sweets we need in the middle of summer and the combination of lemons and strawberries in this cake not only give it a certain tartness but they also represent the wonderful, vibrant colors of the sun which governs over the sky this time of year. 

With this post, I would also like to wish you all a happy and blessed Litha, albeit with delay. I hope you celebrated this sabbat as you wanted to and that this recipe will be useful to you sooner or later and enrich your celebration.

You Will Need:

For the crumbly base:

• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup (brown) sugar*
• 2 cups (whole-wheat) flour*
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the filling:

• 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (ca. 3 large lemons)
• 2 tsp lemon zest (ca. 2 lemons)
• 1 cup roughly chopped strawberries
• 3/4 cup (brown) sugar*
• 2-3 tbsp agave syrup
• 4 eggs
• 1 (to 1 1/2) cup (whole-wheat) flour*
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

• powdered sugar for sprinkling

Note: You can substitute the ingredients that have a star (*) next to them if you want the cake to be lighter in color. The lighter version is, in my opinion, aesthetically much more pleasing, although this version is slightly healthier. So you can use plain wheat flour instead of whole-wheat and normal granulated sugar instead of brown sugar. With the light version of the cake, the base will be very light (almost white) and the strawberries and lemon will color the filling a pinkish color. But it's all up to you.

How To Prepare:

The base:

1. Heat the oven to 175°C.
2. Cover a deeper baking pan with baking paper approximately 22 x 38 cm in size.
3. Mix the butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add the flour and salt and mix until you get a crumbly mixture.
4. Pat the mixture into the baking pan so you evenly cover the whole surface. And make sure it's well-packed (i.e. firm, with no holes, etc.) otherwise the base will be too crumbly and won't hold.
5. Bake for 15 minutes.

The filling:

1. Grate and squeeze the lemons and chop up the strawberries.
2. Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, strawberries  and sugar together. Add the eggs and mix. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until combined.
3. Pour the mixture onto the base while it's still hot.
4. Return in the over for another 25 minutes.
5. Leave it to cool and then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Honey Cake

The beginning of spring is perfect for light cakes such as this one, which are full of flavor, but at the same time easy on the stomach. Orange juice and orange zest remind us that spring brings refreshment into our lives, while the main ingredient of this cake - honey - reminds us that this is the time of year when all living beings start stirring once more, and among them bees that start producing honey as the flowers start blooming.

You Will Need:

For the usual dose:	For the double dose:
2 1/2 cups flour	5 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder	6 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda	1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt	1 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar	1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon	4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup melted honey	1 cup melted honey
1/3 cup sunflower oil	2/3 cup sunflower oil
4 eggs	6 eggs
1 tsp orange zest	2 tsp orange zest
1 cup orange juice	2 cups orange juice

Notes: you can mix plain flour with hard flour if you like and you can also use more sugar if you prefer your cakes to be sweeter (I always put a lot less sugar than is usually state in a recipe and this cake was no exception).

How To Prepare:

1. Heat your oven to 175°C.
2. Oil and four your baking pan(s). It's really all the same what kind of pan you decide to use, just keep in mind that the cake(s) will rise quite a bit. If you decide to go with the usual dose, the one regular, circular cake mold about 22 cm in diameter will do.But if you are making a double dose, you can expect a lot more. You can even use unusual cake molds! For example, I used one mold in the shape of a four-leaf clover and one that is usually used for baking Yule log cakes.
3. Mix all dry ingredients using a wooden spoon.
4. Gradually add the wet ingredients and mix using an electric mixer.
5. Pour the dense mixture into the mold(s) and bake for ca. 30 minutes at 175°C.

If you like, you can take the cake out 5 minutes earlier, glaze it with honey and put it back in the oven so the honey creates a nice crust. Otherwise, you can just lightly sprinkle it with powdered sugar once its cooled down, or put a chocolate glaze over it. Whichever you prefer! Although, you can always leave it as a nice, plain biscuit cake. In this case (if you decide not to go with any kind of glaze), I recommend you mix together a bit of milk and rum and daub the cake with this mixture so it stays moist even longer.

Bon appétit and a blessed Ostara to you all! :D

Yours,

Witch's Cat

Carrot and Apple Cake

Mabon is known as the second harvest, the festival of fruits and the celebration of abundance. This is also the time of apple picking which is why there are apples to spare for all sorts of meals. Carrots are typically also ripe for the picking this time of year, and it is well-known that the combination of carrots and apples can be divine. And this is true. If you don't believe me, try this recipe out yourself!

You Will Need:

Note: the measurement is a yogurt cup (200 g).

For the Dough:

• 4 eggs
• 1-2 cups sugar (to taste)
• 2 cups plain flour
• 1 cup oil
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1 packet vanilla sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 250 g grated carrots
• 350 g grated apples

For the Glaze:

• 200 g cooking chocolate
• 50 ml milk
• 25-50 g butter

Note: you will need more carrots and apples than stated here considering the fact that you will end up throwing away the skin and removing the core. For example, I had 350 g of carrots but after peeling, cutting off the ends and grating off the outermost layer, I ended up with 250 g. Similarly, just over 500 g of apples turned into 350 g ones I peeled the skin and threw away the core. Also, with regards to the glaze, you can eyeball the amount of milk and butter you add to the chocolate to get the kind of consistency you prefer. I just listed the approximate amount of milk and butter that I added to the glaze for a reference.

How To Prepare:

The Dough:

1. Using an electric mixer, mix the eggs, sugar and oil together.
2. Add vanilla sugar and cinnamon to the mix.
3. Mix the flour and baking powder together and gradually add this to the previous mixture and mix well using a wooden spoon.
4. Grate the carrots and apples (yes, just now so the apple doesn't let out too much water) and add them to the mix.
5. Cover your baking dish (preferably a square-shaped, metal one) with baking paper and pour in the mixture. Bake for 45 minutes at 180°C.

The Glaze:

1. Melt the chocolate over steam and add the butter and milk.
2. Stir until the chocolate completely melts and the ingredients permeate each other.
3. While the cake is still warm, pour the glaze over it.
4. Once the cake and glaze have cooled down to approximately room temperature, put them in the refrigerator for a few hours so the glaze can harden.

Peach Cake

Summertime brings intense heat and therefore also a need for all things refreshing. This light cake made from yogurt and fresh fruit is a great choice for all of you that have a sweet tooth but who also feel like eating something refreshing. :) Actually any seasonal fruit (which doesn't lose its quality in the oven) can be used for this cake, but peaches give the dough that special juiciness which is why it stays soft for days after its been made!

You Will Need:

• peaches (I used 5 or about half a kilogram, but you can use however many you like)
• 2 eggs
• 100-150 g brown sugar
• 1 cup (2 dl) yogurt/cooking cream
• 2 cups flour
• 1 packet baking powder
• 1 dcl oil
• powdered sugar

How To Prepare:

1. Using an electric mixer, mix together eggs and sugar then add the yogurt and oil.
2. Add the baking powder to the flour and add this to the above mixture bit by bit. If needed, add some more yogurt so the final mixture isn't too dense.
3. Grease your baking tin with oil and sprinkle it with flour. Pour in the mixture.
4. Peel off the skin from the peaches, take out the pit and cut it into pieces (whichever size you like).
5. Heat the oven to 175°C.
6. Bake the cake for 10 minutes.
7. Take out the cake and "sprinkle" the peach chunks on it.
8. Put the cake back in the oven for about another 30 minutes (you'll know when the cake is done when you poke a toothpick in it and the dough doesn't stick to it).
9. When it has cooled down a bit, sprinkle some powdered sugar over it.

Enjoy!!! :D

Until next time. Yours,

Witch's Cat