During Elizabethan times, the twelve days between December 24 and January 6 were the most joyful of the entire year. The celebrations began on Christmas Eve with the Yule log being placed in the fireplace and set ablaze. It had to be large enough to burn, 24/7, until January 6th, also known as Twelfth Night. As they waited to attend midnight mass, the halls of great homes were decorated with holly and ivy and people visited their neighbors and sang carols in exchange for a spiced wine known as wassail. (The word “wassail” comes from the Old English phrase “waes hael” meaning “be well.”)

On Christmas Day, a young man would be chosen to preside over the twelve days of activities and he was called the Lord of Misrule. He would dress outlandishly and lead all of the dancing and games. He was basically the emcee for the twelve days of fun and festivities. He also coordinated with the local choirs and traveling mummers so there would always be music.

On New Year’s Day, small gifts were exchanged like oranges spiked with cloves, ginger cookies, and small bags of spices. On Twelfth Night, the last night of celebration, the Lord of Misrule would present one final night of feasting, dancing, and music before giving up his title. And, of course, there was a Twelfth Night cake. Usually it was a heavily spiced fruit cake that made up for the lack of sugar with tons of wine. Today, people serve fruit cakes, cheese cakes, and pound cakes. Basically, any kind of cake will do. The Elizabethans also added a coin or a bean to the cake. Whoever found the bean or coin would be King or Queen for the day and everyone had to do what they said, even the Lord of Misrule.

But why did this holiday season last until January 6, exactly 12 days after Christmas? Because January 6, aka The Epiphany, is the celebration of the day that the three Maji (wise men) arrived in Bethlehem to offer their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus. This moment represents the moment God as man was presented to the world. The word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word “epiphaneia” which means “manifestation” or “reveal”. This feast day refers to the day that Jesus manifested himself to the gentile kings from the east. These kings represented all of humanity.

Here is the visit spelled out in the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 2: 

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, … behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.’ …. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

The Western Christian church names these kings as Melchior (Persian scholar), Caspar (Ethiopian scholar), and Balthazar (Arabian Scholar). The gifts they offered were the kind normally offered to a king. Myrhh was an anointing oil, Frankincense was a perfume, and gold was the most valuable asset available. These gifts also had a spiritual meaning since gold represents kingship on earth, frankincense was an incense that represented deity, and myrrh was used an embalming oil and represented death.

The Epiphany takes the birth of Christ, presents Him to the world, and hints at what was to come (Death and Resurrection). Therefore, in the Elizabethan world, this day was the final and most important day of the season. With dancing and cake and lots of festivities, the season ended with a promise of next year. Even the embers of the dying Yule log were collected to help start the Yule log fire the next year. But the next day, also known as Ploughman’s Day, was when all the decorations came down and people headed back to work. Most importantly in an agrarian society, those who worked in the fields took stock of what needed to be done to get ready for spring. It was even considered bad luck to keep the holiday decorations up after the Epiphany. So after you eat your Epiphany cake (recipe below), save your embers, and clean up your last holiday meal, it’s time to return to work. Until next year’s holiday season comes around!

And because I love holidays that have special desserts, here’s my recipe for a Spiced Eggnog Maji Cake!


The Hungry {Romance} Writer: Spiced Eggnog Maji Cake

This recipe is a conglomeration of three recipes that I've adapted over the years. The first is a recipe from a poundcake posted by Kim at A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen, an eggnog cake posted by Lisa at My Own Sweet Thyme, and from a cranberry and ginger bread recipe from my best friend and critique partner, Mary Lenaburg. I've reworked this cake a few times and love how it turned out. It's a festive poundcake filled with lemon, cranberries, crystallized ginger, and eggnog. And, yes, all of the flavors blend beautifully! It's a perfect addition to our Epiphany celebration. And don't forget to slip a chocolate coin into the bottom of the cake for a lucky person to find! Whoever finds it becomes king or queen for the day and everyone has to do what they say until midnight.

Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 12

Ingredients

Cake

  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar firmly packed
  • 1 cup sugar
  • cups butter softened
  • 6 large eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon zest grated
  • 1 1/2 cups eggnog
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries chopped
  • 1/3 cup crystallized ginger finely chopped

Glaze

  • 3/4 cup Powdered sugar
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest grated
  • pinch salt

Treat for the king or queen of the day

  • 1 chocolate coin to hide in the cake

Instructions

Cake

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan or 2 loaf pans.

  2. In a large bowl, stir together all the dry ingredients including the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

  3. In the large bowl of a standing electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until well blended and fluffy.

  4. Mix in the lemon zest.

  5. Alternating the flour mixture and the eggnog, start with the flour mixture by adding 1/3 of a cup and then some eggnog. Beat in between each addition, ending with the eggnog if possible. It should form a smooth batter when finished.

  6. Pour the batter in the prepared bundt pan or 2 loaf pans. Do not overfill! If you have extra batter, use it in a prepared muffin tins or a bread pan and bake it separately.

  7. Bake for 1 hour, testing it at 45 minutes to make sure it doesn't overflow or over bake. It is done when an inserted toothpick come out clean.

  8. Remove from the oven and cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes.

  9. The glaze is optional. But if you want to add it, make the glaze while the cake is cooling. Add all the glaze ingredients to a medium bowl and whisk it together until it's smooth and shiny and well blended.

  10. Take the cake out of the pan and place on a cake plate. In the bottom of the cake, make a small slit and slip in the chocolate coin. Then drizzle the glaze over the top and allow the bread to cool before serving it.




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