Oh, Scotland. How I love you so.

Whisky, Haggis, Irn Bru, Tunnock’s and all of those incredible bands.

Like Jesus H. Foxx.

This seven piece band out of Edinburgh has totally knocked me over. I just cannot get enough. It seems that every time I put on Jesus H. Foxx I find some new layer in the music. Something that makes each song sound fresh and different. That says quite a lot about this band as I have listened to their album ‘Matter’ about 100 times since buying it about 2 weeks ago.

Where did the band get the name from? Lead singer, he of that gorgeous voice, Michael Hunter says “Jesus fucking fox’ is a little known expression for surprise or incomprehension I think I heard in Boston. The ‘H’ comes from the Blues Brothers film. The second X in “Foxx” was a typo. An aesthetically pleasing typo”.

Works for me.

I love Jesus H. Foxx so much I made a cake for them. Spiced layers of Gingerbread with a Crème Brûlée Filling (!!) and Scotch Whisky Buttercream Icing. The cake is pretty delicious, but I think ‘Matter’ is even more so.

Gingerbread Cake With Crème Brûlée Filling And Scotch Whisky Icing

Cake ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup, plus 3 Tbs sugar, divided
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups dark molasses
2 tsp baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbs ground ginger
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350℉. Spray 3 (9 inch) baking pans with non-stick baking spray with flour.

2. In a large bowl, beat butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat well after each addition.

3. In a medium bowl, combine boiling water, molasses and baking soda. Stir well.

4. In another large bowl, combine flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Spoon batter into prepared pans.

5. Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester comes clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks.

6. Spread half of Crème Brûlée Filling over one cake layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbs sugar. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar by waving it over the filling. Let stand for 10 minutes. Top with second cake layer and repeat procedure. Top with remaining cake layer.

7. Spread Scotch Whisky Buttercream on top and sides of cake. Store cake in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Crème Brûlée Filling

Crème Brûlée Filling Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream, divided
1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks cinnamon
2 tsp whole cloves
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
6 egg yolks

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300℉.

2. Place a 9 inch glass pie plate into a larger baking dish. Fill baking dish with hot water to a depth of 1/2 inch.

3. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup cream, sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Cook over medium-low hear until bubbles form around edges of pan. Remove from heat.

4. In a small bowl, combine gelatin and remaining 1 cup cream. Let stand for 2 minutes. Add to hot cream mixture, stirring to dissolve.

5. In another small bowl, whisk yolks. pour 1 cup hot cream mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. Add yolk mixture to remaining hot cream mixture, whisking constantly. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl, discarding solids. Pour mixture into prepared pie plate.

6. Bake for 1 hour or until firm. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove pie plate from baking dish, cover and chill for at least 8 hours.

Scotch Whisky Buttercream

Scotch Whisky Buttercream ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg whites
2 cups butter, softened
1/4 cup Scotch whisky

Directions:

1. In top of double boiler, whisk sugar and egg whites until combined. Cook over simmering water until mixture reaches 140℉. Do not stir. Immediately pour mixture into the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer. Beat at high speed for 10 minutes.

2. With mixer runnning, add butter, 2 Tbs at a time, beating well after each addition. Add Scotch whisky, beating until combined.

Recipe from Paula Deen’s Holiday Baking Magazine

Eat cake and listen to Jesus H. Foxx. My idea of the perfect way to kill time.

I cannot get enough of the album ‘Matter’. Dreamy, rhythmic and satisfying. A little bit folk, a little bit adorable. Messy, but oh so neat.

Jesus H. Foxx knows a thing or two about brilliantly layering the vocals in a song.

This song. Good grief it is good. I love the whole cd, but this song…. so freakin’ fantastic. Tip: If you run, put Elegy For The Good Times on your playlist. You’ll fly.

“Oh, oh, oh, oh……..”
Jesus H. Foxx-Elegy For The Good Times

Honestly, don’t you want to jump inside this video and dance around with these guys (and gal)? Fun.

Check out Jesus H. Foxx on Myspace, the band’s Website and Facebook.

Buy the music at Song, By Toad Records

Cheers!