To think it is to do it, lifelong hardwiring, Biblical Scripture Cake

So, having been given the recipe for a Biblical cake, complete with scriptural references, and having visited a Biblical garden with the herb group this week, I figured I would get cracking, literally, it takes six eggs, and try this at home.  It was served at our symposium lunch, but by dessert I was not up to one more bite, lovely as it looked. So I had to make it to try it.

So today, having got in the extra eggs, I set to work.  And realized after a bit that this is the functional equivalent of making the Christmas cake, except I didn't have to blanch the almonds.  That was my job as a little kid, failsafe task for a youngster, no knives, no heat involved.  No citron nor angelica, here, though, nor cherries.

It did involve separating eggs, grating nutmeg, grinding cinnamon, measuring many other ingredients, many bowls involved.  Cutting up figs and dates, too, sticky. A lot of fun in fact, and amazingly, no neighbor came barging in to chat while I was busy doing it, even though it's Saturday.

As usual, it featured substitutions, this being me, no tube pan, so I used a regular ten inch cake pan, parchment in bottom, buttered sides.  Worked just fine.

And I hadn't enough raisins, couldn't track them down in the store, so I added in dates.  The total inclusions, almonds, raisins, figs, came to four cups, so that was an easy sub, just made it up to the right volume using dates. 

It did feel biblical, measuring milk and honey, and all those spices.  I thought two tablespoons of cinnamon was a bit much, but went ahead, and in fact it's just right.  Don't cut that back.  This makes a lot of cake.

At this point, after I sampled a hearty wedge with a glass of milk, and pronounced it good, the rest of it is sliced, wrapped in parchment paper and in the freezer.  Many afternoon teas and visits from HS will be catered from this supply. 

The oven is set at 300F, so that told me that a center rack was probably the best place, to get it baked but not scorched, and that proved to be a good idea.  Not mentioned in recipe, but I would suggest it. Long slow baking. 

Maybe I'd better put in the recipe here, again, too

 

This is probably a good cake to make on a snow day when there's no hurry to go anywhere. And you will have a slice of cake with your afternoon tea.  I have so much in the freezer that there might be some left by the first snow day, come to think of it.