[Sca-cooks] Selene's spice cakes/breads

[Stefan li Rous]

Selene replied to my request with her version of the spice cake recipe:

<<< Not "period" but considering the recipe is from one of the founding
members of the SCA, maybe it's not so inappropriate.

I don't want to call it "fruitcake" because then people would avoid it.
I use this batter to glue together all the fruit and nuts I can jam in,
candied peels and dried fruit.  No citron because I don't like it much
and neither do my friends.  It keeps pretty well, particularly when
doused with brandy or rum. >>>

Thank you for posting this!

I was wondering until I got further down into the recipe whether this  
was 1/ 2 cup instant coffee crystals, 1/2 cup ground coffee beans or  
1/2 cup of brewed coffee. :-)

Although it is easy enough to add more nuts and fruits, about how  
many are needed for this recipe?

And I've never made one of these cakes which is doused/soaked in  
liquor before, which is one reason this one intrigues me. How much  
liquor would you use? Do you simply pour it on once? Or do you pour  
in a little bit multiple times over a particular time period?

And I actually do have some candied citron. Having never seen it  
before, in any state, I bought a package to try.

Stefan
(see, some of this is an example why it is best for me to start with  
someone's redaction as a starting point. Otherwise you might *really*  
turn up with something strange)
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas           
StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****