Bilbo Baggins Is My Homeboy + Haggis Ahoy

[xraytheenforcer]

For no particular reason, I was seized with the desire to bake* a seed cake** last week. Considering we broke our normal rules and had rum cocktails on Friday, I felt it was in character*** to actually go through with my mad seed-cake plan, and yesterday I found myself creaming an entire pound of butter (oh jesus) and then mixing in goodies like sugar, eggs, candied orange peel, brandy, and the all-important caraway seeds.

The cakes (had to make two because my cake tin was too small) turned out really, really good. Whatever happy pounds I shed over Christmas are going to come lumbering back, but fuck it. I am going to portion the cake out over a week or so, and take some to work to lure unsuspecting coworkers to Hobbitdom.

* I do not like baking things. Where this brainwave came from, I cannot say.
** Bilbo Baggins made a seed cake, which was devoured by the dwarves when they came to conspire with their burglar.
*** Another unusual thing for the weekend. We're renting a car, driving down the Jersey shore, and buying black pudding and haggis at one of the only butchers in the whole area who makes such things fresh.

HAGGIS!!

Comments

[addienfaemne.livejournal.com]

take mike and me to the jersey shore, mike needs to see the sun :(

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Shit, that would have been a good idea. :( Unfortunately we have a Zipcar, and only for a set amount of time today. Next time, though. (and now that we're signed up for Zipcar, "next time" is easier than it used to be.)

As for Mike and the sun...you sure that's wise? I heard he screams in pain and then disintegrates into a pile of ash if the Yellow Eye finds his skin.

[addienfaemne.livejournal.com]

:I heard he screams in pain and then disintegrates into a pile of ash if the Yellow Eye finds his skin.:

but... but... THAT WAS MY PLAN!

[scriva.livejournal.com]

I get brainwaves that order me to bake or cook, only once in a while as well, but then I have fun most of time.

Can you give the reciept (sp.?) for the seed-cake? I can not picture it.

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

Sure. It's in imperial units, but I'll give approx. measures in metric as well:

1 pound (approx 450 grams) butter
2 cups (approx 450 grams) sugar (white, granulated)
9 eggs
1 teaspoon (appox 5mL) vanilla extract/bourbon vanilla (not sure how to translate this as y'all use vanilla sugar more often than we do)
1/2 teaspoon (approx 5mL) mace (Mazisbluete or Muskatbluete)
2 tablespoons (30mL) brandy (or 8 drops rose water)
4 cups (440 grams) sifted flour (regular unbleached flour)
1/2 teaspoon (2.5mL) cream of tartar (weinstein)
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
2 teaspoons (10mL) caraway seeds (Kuemmel)
1/3 cup (about 35-40 grams) candied orange peel
zest of a lemon

Have everything at room temperature before starting.
Cream butter. After creamed, add sugar slowly and cream well. Beat in eggs one at a time and blend well. Add vanilla, mace and brandy. Sift before measuring the 440 grams flour. Resift to incorporate the cream of tartar and salt. Add the sifted ingredients to the batter slowly, and mix only until thoroughly blended. Stir in final three ingredients (caraway seeds, orange peel, lemon zest).

Preheat oven to 325F. Put into loaf or cakepan (cake should be relatively tall). Bake for a bit more than an hour.

[scriva.livejournal.com]

9 eggs! O_O

Thank you anyway. ^_^

[xraytheenforcer.livejournal.com]

I know! I damned near had a heart attack (and probably still will). It does make a lot of cake, though.

[regina-of-york.livejournal.com]

You don't want to know how many pounds of butter I used during my holiday baking. Actually, I don't want to know the final total, lol. All I can say is it's a good thing I gave so much away!

If you don't like to bake, we can make a deal. When the commune opens, you can cook lovely exotic dinners and I will bake dessert. I'm sure Mo would agree to a similar trade off as well.

[niamhotoole.livejournal.com]

I particularly liked the Bilbo Baggins footnote. It sort of made me approve the idea of baking a seed cake. (sorry, hungover again, 2 days drinking this time. I entered the lateral thinking realm)