On the outside of the boat, the 6″ stovepipe extends 4 feet above the deck giving a clue that there’s a solid fuel stove below deck doing its job.

Heating Mahdee using the solid fuel Shipmate galley stove means we have a warm oven most all of the time and that results in loads of baked goods for the boat. Double duty is a good thing. Yesterday we had a snack of mandarin oranges and rather than throw away the peel, I dehydrated the orange peel in a flat enamelware tortilla pan sitting on the coolest corner of the stovetop overnight. This morning I contemplated what I might do with those pungent orange peels today. A chicken rice casserole with ginger and orange peel came to mind but no ginger aboard the boat–not to mention the definitive lack of chicken–and the weather was ranging between showers and sun. I preferred to stay put aboard and scrounge through the cupboards instead of seeking out ingredients. I discovered two tortillas, a bell pepper, and some Manchego cheese so I figured we’re good to go for dinner. So I then started thinking about maybe a nut bread or cake but having no white sugar just brown sugar, molasses or honey aboard the boat I decided to throw together a unique honey cake recipe. My thought was that the orange peel flavor would be totally lost in molasses or brown sugar recipes. We’ll call it “Schooner Mahdee Orange Cranberry Honey Cake.” It is good cake. Very good. I’ll share the recipe but realize that cooking with a solid fuel stove is a bit different than a regular oven. Watch the cake closely the first time you make it and perhaps adjust the cooking time for your own oven.

The distinctive honey taste flavors this tender cake. The ground pecans, orange peel, and dried cranberries provide a textural counterpoint to the soft grain of the cake as well. Perfect. I’ve placed the recipe below with footnotes in [] for how our cake made aboard Schooner Mahdee might be a bit different than the one you make at home in your own galley..er..kitchen.

1/3 cup ground pecans [1]
1/2 cup dehydrated chopped orange peel
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
5/8 cup butter, at room temperature [2]
1 cup honey (plus 2 tablespoons for drizzle)
1-2 tablespoons water [3]
4 large eggs

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F [4]. Lightly grease a 9-inch round or 7×11-inch cake pan [5].

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter, honey, and eggs. Stir in the flour mixture, then the water, pecans, orange peel, and cranberries.

Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure everything is evenly moistened, then mix for one minute more.

Pour the batter into the pan and drizzle the batter with approximately 2 tablespoons honey. This drizzle makes for an interesting texture and moist browning of the cake top.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes [6], until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan. Allow the cake to cool before serving. You can dust the top with powdered sugar if desired.[7] Yield 12 servings [8]

[1] The process of grinding pecans aboard the boat varies but could mean crushing pecans in a cloth with my dead-head mallet which is kept in the galley for opening and closing the porthole cam-latches. Almost certainly you have a better more culinary method.
[2] I’m impatient. I know that using room temperature butter is best but since we store perishables in cool parts of the boat and I was in a hurry, I helped it along by softening/melting the butter atop the stove.
[3] If I had not been so impatient with the butter, I might have needed more like 2 tablespoons of water to get the consistency I was looking for. Further, if your eggs are not large, you may require 2 tablespoons rather than one.
[4] Well, there’s no real preheat going on with my solid fuel stove today. It is what it is and it was probably about 325F but I must admit that’s just by “feel” of the air in the oven and experience. I don’t keep a thermometer in the oven so it’s a guess.
[5] OK, I’ll admit it, my stainless steel 9″ round cake pan does double duty as stove coal scoop and cake pan. Since it was sitting atop the counter full of coal, I pulled in my handy 11″x7″ IKEA cake pan which is rectangular but provides the same height cake.
[6] We’ve already mentioned that I have no idea what the temperature in the oven is but I think it is about 325 and therefore it should take you about 45 to 55 minutes to cook this cake in your oven at home. It took me 45 minutes.
[7] I desired to dust with powdered sugar but we have none aboard. Thus no dusting.
[8] While this is a perfect 12 serving recipe, I cut 8 extra large pieces and David decided to enjoy two for lunch and two for dinner rather than joining me in a bell pepper & Manchego cheese quesadilla today.

The firebox (below) is full of hot coals perfect for a morning of baking!