Irish Seed Cakes

In my last post I mentioned how I'm not so keen on all these St. Patty's day recipes popping up over the internet. Many of the are green - and not in a yummy spinach sort of way. A lot of them call for assorted booze, which is kinda weird, because I'm pretty sure Mr. C didn't go around chugging Baileys and Guinness when he visited his home country. Believe it or not, he told me that the night life drink of choice is either Budweiser or Vodka/Red Bull. Weird, huh?


A lot of places in Ireland celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a solemn celebration. They simply feast with their friends and family. It's definitely not the drunken hullabaloo it is over in North America (I'm looking straight at ya, Boston). From the sounds of it, March 17th contains more meat, boiled cabbage, and assorted starches than liquor.



I guess my point is, lets not overdo things, eh? Dying your cupcakes green and washing sweets in cheap beer may not be the best (or tastiest) way to celebrate.

Let me show you a sweet, traditional cake that you can bake up this holiday. And, I promise, no Guiness. Or Vodka/Red Bull.



Irish Seed Cakes
Adapted from Cooking for Seven

Make about a dozen muffin-sized cakes

1 1/4 cups AP Flour
1 cup whole wheat flower
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons almond meal
3/4 cup butter (slightly warm)
3/4 cup sugar
The zest of one navel orange
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup candied citrus peel (plus a bit more for decorating)
2 1/2 Tablespoons caraway seeds

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place liners in your muffin tin and set aside.

2) Cream together the butter and sugar until really light and fluffy. Add the eggs and continue to whip. Add the zest and extract. Finally, add your buttermilk and stir a bit.

3) Add your dry ingredients to your wet ingredients: both flours, baking powder, salt, and almond meal. Stir with a wooden spoon carefully a couple of times, then add your caraway seeds and citrus peel. Fold until the batter just comes together - do not over stir. Spoon two to three tablespoons of batter into each muffin liner. Bake for about 17 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and your cake tester comes out clean. Enjoy.