Samhain ~ Halloween ~ All Hallows Eve ~ Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake

 

Samhain - Halloween - All Hallows Eve - October 31 to November 1, in the Northern Hemisphere - is a Celtic festival marking the end of harvest season and the beginning of winter and is considered to be the darker half of the year. The skies are turning grey, the leaves have fallen from the trees and the garden is bare. It is a time where we honour the dead, protect the living and petition the spirits for wisdom and prediction. 

Death is a reoccurring theme during this time as boundaries dissolve and the veils between worlds during equinoxes and solstices are at their thinnest. That is why it is believed that the spirits, faeries, ancestors and darker entities could more easily roam our lands as the portal between our world and theirs is considered to be at its thinnest; therefore we want to honour and hold offerings to our ancestors, the dead, the departed and the otherworldly for this reason. 

Samhain is a magical time. As the dark half of the year begins, death is followed by rebirth, the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year, it's a time of rest and reflection as we go inward to honour the darkness as we descend into winter and the darker half of the year. Remember... light is born from darkness and darkness has potential and growth... through death we find rebirth.

Other festivals celebrated during or around this time are: Day of the Dead (Mexico), Day of those who have Died/Undas/Araw ng mea Yomao (Philippines), Dia de Finados (Brazil), All Saints' Day (Christian), All Souls' Day (Roman Catholic & Christian), Hallowmas (Christian), Martinmas/Armistice Day (Scottish/British/UK), Remembrance Day (Canada/World, November), The Huron Feast of the Dead (Wyandot Nation - Canadian, Ontario, Canada) and another Celtic tradition, Feast of the Dead/Féile Na Marbh, (Irish) and Diwali (Hindu, mid-October/mid-November, movable).

Happy Samhain blessings and Happy Halloween/All Hallows Eve to those who celebrate. 

 

 Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake

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2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup milk

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 

1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and nuts, if using. Cut in the cold butter and either using a pastry cutter or a fork or your clean hands, mix to create a crumbly oatmeal like texture. 

Drizzle Icing:

1 cup (120 g) icing sugar 

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients together. Drizzle over cake.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease and flour a 9-inch or an 8-inch square baking tin. Set aside.

Make the crumb topping, see recipe above, and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger until combined. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, olive oil, maple syrup and milk. Stir until the wet ingredients and the dry ingredients are just combined, do not over-mix. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tin and spread evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top and gently press it down into the batter.

Bake the cake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, a few moist crumbs are fine. If the toothpick has a wet batter increase the baking time to 5 minute intervals until the cake is done. 

Once the cake is done, remove from oven. Make the drizzle icing, see recipe above, and drizzle over warm or cooled cake, which ever you prefer.  

Rosemary Lemon Shortbread

Rosemary, is for remembrance and I make these shortbread around this time of year. I suppose you could say that this is my homage of giving thanks and remembrance to those who are no longer with us. Just remember when serving to use two plates, with fresh sprigs of rosemary, one for the living and one for the dead.   

Rosemary Lemon Shortbread

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1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 icing sugar

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

zest from 1 lemon

3/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 300ºF. 

In a large bowl combine the cornstarch, icing sugar, flour, chopped rosemary, lemon zest. Add the softened butter and stir until well blended. Roll portions of the dough into balls. Place on a baking tray, about 1 inch apart, and gently flatten with a floured fork or with the bottom of a smooth glass, that has been floured. Sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown. Remove from baking tray and cool on wire racks.   

Hope everyone is having a good week! - JD 

Skeleton Gingerbread Men

Halloween will soon be here and why not make these skeleton gingerbread men. It was my first time using this spooky cookie cutter. All was not frightful however delicious as they disappeared into thin air… 

                         

First you want to find yourself this cookie cutter. It is made out of plastic and has a dual purpose. One side to cut the body shape out and the other side to imprint the skeleton body onto the cookie. 

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Then you need a gingerbread recipe. The first recipe I made did not turn out at all. Fortunately having many cookbooks provides many recipes… I moved on to this one.

Gingerbread Men

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1/2 cup butter                                           

1/2 cup sugar                                   

1/2 cup dark molasses                                      

1/4 cup water 

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice                                                                 

                                                                

                                                                

Cream butter and sugar. Blend in molasses, water, flour, salt, soda, ginger, nutmeg and all spice. Cover; chill for 2 to 3 hours. 

Heat oven to 375º. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut with cookie cutter; place on a ungreased baking tray. Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Immediately remove from baking tray. Cool. Trim with icing. 

  

Notes:

First I blended all the dry ingredients together. Then added them to the wet ingredients. 

I used freshly ground nutmeg and the British spice called ground mixed spice.

Being busy meant the dough had to stay in the refrigerator for a couple of days before I could get to it. It was well chilled so I had to let it warm up a bit before rolling, by removing it from the stainless steel bowl and on to a floured surface.  

I rolled the dough out onto a floured surface with no cloth. When using this skeleton cookie cutter press firmly with the skeleton side of the cookie cutter the indentation has to make a groove to hold the icing.

You can make your own royal icing or icing to decorate. However I bought pre made ones from a baking supply shop. It saved me time.  

I found that the cookies I made were baked within 8 minutes. Ovens may vary so tweaking times may be needed. 

                                      

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