Litha, Summer Solstice Honey Cake

Litha, Summer Solstice Honey Cake

Honey is a wonderful food to represent Litha. One of the names often given for the Full Moon at Litha is Honey Moon' or ' Mead Moon' as this is a time when the  bee hives are rich with honey. The honey can be used in many ways, one of which is to ferment it and make into a traditional Midsummer drink called "mead", hence the name 'Mead Moon'.

Baking a cake at Litha would be a fabulous way to celebrate with friends and family and using honey is particularly pertinent to the season. I am particularly minded to think about bees when there is such a threat to their very existence at the moment.  

"Scientific evidence that common pesticides are harming bees has risen in the last year and, along with huge public protests, culminated in the European commission (EC) imposing the ban on three neonicotinoids. Bees and other insects pollinate three-quarters of the world's food crops but have suffered steep declines due to habitat loss, disease and pesticide use."Guardian May 2013

So if you do make this cake, spare a thought for the bees that made this cake possible, and pray for their continued existence on our planet as they are so important to us.

Here is a very simple recipe for Litha Honey cake. 

8 oz Margarine

8 oz Honey
3 Eggs
12 oz Self Raising Flour

Cream margarine and honey.
Add eggs with a little flour and beat well.
Fold in rest of flour
Put in greased 8" cake tin and cook about 1 1/2-2 hours in medium oven,
or until skewer comes out clean.

You could drizzle with a little honey icing- 20z icing sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and a little hot water . This will perfectly finish off your Litha honey cake.

A yellow bow around the cake and perhaps some bees to decorate it would look lovely, share with your friends, family,  and neighbours so that everyone may take part in the 

joy that is the Summer Solstice

Photograph bbcgoodfood.