Imbolc Butter Cake Recipes

BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment or wax paper, or dust lightly with flour.
• Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Beat butter and white sugar until fluffy and light in color. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition; stir in vanilla. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Stir until just blended (see Cook's Note for Blueberry Cake variation). Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for until cake springs back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto wire rack to cool completely.

IMBOLC BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Combine cake mix, melted butter and 2 eggs with a fork till moist.
• Pat the mixture in the bottom of a 9x13-inch pan and slightly up the sides for crust.
• In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar together for 3 minutes with an electric mixer on high.
• Turn to low and add remaining eggs and vanilla.
• Mix well.
• Pour over crust and bake 35 to 40 minutes.
• Sprinkle with powered sugar.

IMBOLC PLAIN BUTTERMILK BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the yeast and sugar, and add a few teaspoons of whey. Leave the yeast culture to stand for a few minutes, or until the mixture becomes frothy.
• Add 4 cups of flour to a bowl and blend with the salt. Make a small well in the centre.
• Pour the 2-3 cups of whey into the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring between cups. Add the yeast culture with the second 1/2 cup of whey. Continue adding whey until the dough is very frothy and seems somewhat between a dough and a batter.
• Sprinke the remaining cup of flour onto a surface, thickly, and coat hands with the flour. Pour the dough/batter onto the floured surface.
• Keeping your hands thickly floured, knead the dough into the floured surface, folding in more flour from the surface as you go. In just a couple of minutes, the dough should be smooth and elastic, and you will likely find that most of the leftover flour has not been used.
• Let the dough rise for approximately 30 minutes, before shaping as desired. The bread can be shaped into 2 large cottage loaves, 1 very large plait, or several small rolls.
• If you still have leftover whey, brush a little of this over the formed loaves before baking on 180C, until golden brown on top, and until the loaves sound hollow when tapped underneath.