Guy Fawkes Day: November 5th marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot, a conspiracy to blow up the English Parliament and King James I in 1605, the day set for the king to open Parliament. The anniversary was named after Guy Fawkes, the most famous of the conspirators.
The day is celebrated like Halloween. A cake is part of the tradition.
Here is a modern interpretation of a very old cake.
Guy Fawkes Day Cake
(recipe inspired by Le Cordon Bleu)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup rolled oats, blitzed to powder in coffee grinder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 inch cake pan with waxed paper. Grease the paper with butter and dust with flour.
2. Melt the molasses, butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and milk in a saucepan. Remove from heat and cool.
3.
Put dry ingredients into a separate bowl: oat powder, flour, spices and
baking soda. Pour in the butter mixture and beat. Beat in the eggs, one
at a time. Continue beating until mixture becomes a smooth paste.
4.
Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and bake for 35 minutes.
Poke the center with a tooth pick. If it comes out clean, it is done.
Leave in pan to cool for 5 minutes.
5. Turn the cake out onto a cooling wire rack, peel off the waxed paper and leave to cool.
6. Frost with ready-made dark chocolate icing. Cut cake into squares and serve.