Hildegard’s Cakes of Joy

[Seajewel]

A hearty, humor-balancing, cheer-inducing cake crafted with spelt, nutmeg, clove, and a dollop of honey.

[wendyb1063]

9 hours ago, birdy17 said:

Has anyone tried this one? I’m dying to know what it is like 🙃☺️

I have a bottle of this.  It smells like a not-too-sweet cake (like a non-corny cornbread, if that makes any sense) with clove and a hint of nutmeg.  I don't get any obvious honey notes.  It's notably foodier and spicey with less honey than Amber Incense and Honey Cakes.  It reminds me of All Souls Day, but I haven't smelled them side by side.  

 

Overall, it is a really nice scent, and pretty much exactly as I had expected.  As someone who is somewhat of a fan of St. Hildegard, I believe this scent honors her spirit.  

Edited December 29, 2021 by wendyb1063

[wolf_truffles]

Definitely bread cake! A bit buttery. Spelt is strong in this which I like. Very whole wheat. Clove and nutmeg definitely come out. Less sweet than imagined! I think bread lovers would like this one a lot. Honey isn't strong on me.

 

edit: honey comes out more during drydown. Adds weight to the scent and gives it some throw. 

Edited December 30, 2021 by wolf_truffles

[starbrow]

OMG Hildegard! My idol! The recipe that inspired this perfume was taken from Hildegard von Bingen's Physica, in which she extols the virtues of nutmeg (opens the heart, brings both great heat and good moderation, improves judgment and disposition) and spelt (rectifies the flesh and puts joy in the human disposition). I want both of these in 2022! 

 

I think that knowing these two ingredients as the primary grounding factors of Cakes of Joy helps make this scent understandable. It is almost completely devoid of sweetness, rather a sturdy, savory, nourishing "cake" of bread from the nuttier spelt wheat and with a gently earthy spice at its heart. If you are expecting either a sweet gourmand cake or a rich gluteny bread, you will not find it here. Rather, expect an ancient grain in a simple, wholesome context of baked goods, warmed from within by the "Christmasy" earthy nutmeg. There is little clove to be found here, no cinnamon (which was in the recipe, but which would have probably overwhelmed the nutmeg and ruled this out for a lot of people), and the faintest trace of whisper-light honey.

 

I do really love this and will keep my bottle joyfully. I hope that the spices deepen with age, and will experiment with layering a few spicy duets and other blends with it to really bring out that quality, since at the moment it's the spelt that is singing loudest. Hildegard's Cakes of Joy represents the spirit of our mystical abbess very well and is for those who would like to experience the ecstatic joy and open heart of a simpler time.

[VictorianLass]

A very warm golden cake with intoxicating whiffs of clove and nutmeg, drying down with dollops of honey to dip it in!  

[torischroeder9]

In the decant: Sweet spice cake.

 

On my skin:

 

Wet, the nutmeg and clove leap off my skin. As it dries, the honey comes out more, and so does what I think is the spelt, because it develops this vibe of being like very sweet, spiced oatmeal. I want to put raisins in it.

 

Once it settles, this doesn't really change on me. It reminds me a fair bit of the RPG Halfling scent. Cakes of Joy starts out with more spices, but those dial back pretty fast, and I'm left with a sweet porridge scent.

[Casablanca]

Mm. Toasty-warm, bready spice cake with honey and... fruit? Cranberries?

 

While this is wet on my skin, I also get something the fruit spectrum, like cranberries and raisins. Yum. This fades in drydown, however.

 

Warm, cozy, delicious. Hildegard's Cakes reminds me of Amber Incense and Honey Cakes, and it could be a similarly sacred offering... albeit one that leans more gourmand (spicy and fruity) and with less incense and honey. The cakes of AIHC were sopping with honey; here, they are warm and dry, but honey-sweetened. I finished my bottle of Amber Incense and Honey Cakes last month, and Hildegard's Cakes would make a lovely replacement.

[Soupy Twist]

Grains and a dash of nutmeg in the bottle. The clove appears on the wrist. Oh, this is like Castitas! Only more wheat-like and less rice-like, but that same comforting toasty-grain feeling. No honey. The clove is a slightly sour background rumble; I wish I did get the honey because it would have balanced this out nicely. The clove eventually clears out as it dries.

 

If you loved Castitas and Halfling, this is for you. I may get a bottle.

[doomsday_disco]

This is a really nice, honeyed and toasted grain scent accompanied by lots of spice. I get more clove than nutmeg, but the spices are pretty intense at first and irritated the back of my hand where I applied this... not enough to need to wash it off, but they did create a burning feeling and leave a little red area. Over time, the spices do calm down and it becomes mostly about that toasty grain note with just a smattering of honey for sweetness and some much more subdued spices.

 

This isn't particularly cake-y, but that's fine with me, as the toasty spelt note is so lovely, and so is the clove (even if my skin did get irritated during the wet phase). I'll have to give this a full day of wear to see if my sensitive skin can handle it, because the scent is lovely, but if I can't slather, then I'll have to be content with the decant.

[maleficentsea]

Spiced honey cake! This is lovelier than I expected. It's not a sugary sweet cake, as much as a dense bread sweetened with honey, nutmeg, and clove. I can't wait to wear this during the holiday season!

[splendidissima]

Foodie, lightly honeyed, spice cake! Cake in the sense of, ancient grains, or something like a johnnycake - more savory, not a sweet cake. Warm and hearty, full of nutmeg and clove. Plus a drizzle of warm golden honey poured over the top - not a lot, not enough to soak them, just enough to be noticeable and add a hint of sweetness.

 

This is actually sort of similar to By Thys Fyre I Warme My Handys, on me, but I think I like Hildegard better - no smoke (which went weird on me), and honey instead, for a little more sweetness!

[zankoku_zen]

Incensey sweet baked goods. Yep, smells like cake and midnight mass had a baby. Good throw and wear length.

[JakkieTreehorn]

I got this after reading multiple reviews comparing it to Halfling since that is my favorite perfume oil ever.  
 

This one does have a toasty grain thing going on, but to me it’s much closer to Frumenty.  I amp all spices like crazy so for me this is HEAVY nutmeg and clove, but it’s a dry spicy clove with zero sweetness so I like it.  
 

I would be in love with this if it was sticky sweet, but I get almost no sweetness, just dry spices and toasty grains.  It’s actually kind of making me wish I held onto my last bottle of The Pancake Bell which this reminds me of as well, except that one is very syrupy.  

[Teamama]

Honey on fresh bread, with spices. Very light & wholesome, as befits Hildegard. Total win, bought 2 bottles, wearing regularly.

[theredkilt]

Freshly applied, i get a whiff of ammonia. Usually wine notes do that trick on my skin. Later on, it develops a honey cake note, not as intense as Cockaigne, a bit spicy, but still maintaining the ammonia twang.

[tinyvulture]

Sweet cornbread, a touch of nutmeg. I’m not noticing the clove. It reminds me of Sweet Lavinia’s Risalamande, a favorite comfort scent of mine. The risalamande is sweet, creamy rice with nutmeg and this is sweet, rich cornbread with nutmeg. I love it! Very cozy and homey.

[vanilla323]

I agree with tinyvulture it’s cornbread for me! That delicious but not too sweet cornbread. Really addictive and I couldn’t stop sniffing my arm! The sweetness is in the throw but on the skin it’s more savory. Love the story behind it too! I want these cakes! 😋 Medium throw and staying power! 

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

Welp. I just applied this and got cinnamon bread and then incense. I guess the incense was the spelt? A perfume can never be too sweet for me, so a little sad that this was more dry and spicy. Super interesting to try tho! 

[MonBon]

2023 version: This is a warm spelt porridge, with heaps of nutmeg and spicy clove, perhaps cinnamon as well. HEARTY AS FUCK. There's a cheery, citrus zest in the opening that plays well with the nuttier aspects of the grains. The honey is tame and a little bit herbal as opposed to syrupy sweet. I want to eat so many of these medieval, mood-boosting biscuits and take the snuggliest carb overload nap. I enjoy this far more than I expected as I'm usually hesitant around baked goods ☀️ throw: low, longevity: ~5hrs