Beltane ~ May Day ~ Strawberry Cake

Beltane/Beltaine is a Celtic festival celebrated on May 1st, May Day, with some celebrations beginning on the night of April 30th, May Eve, in the Northern Hemisphere. Beltane is a fire festival and traditionally bonfires were lit to honour the sun and the Celtic Sun God, Bel (Beltane, Belen or Belenos), who is associated with healing, light and fire. Beltane is honoured around the world in numerous ways by various groups or individuals including non-wiccans.

Lighting bonfires wasn't the only way to celebrate, visiting wells, feasting and making May bushes were considered other activities. The maypole is a familiar image of May Day and Beltane, and tying colourful ribbons to trees and branches is another popular activity. Beltane marks the peak of Spring and signifies the beginning of Summer... think renewal, growth and abundance. Daylight continues to lengthen and strengthen as we move towards Summer and there is a return of vitality to both the earth and sun, with the May King, the Green Man, and the May Queen, Flora Goddess of Spring, symbolizing the union of earth and sky. 

Other celebrated festivals/holidays during this month are: May Day (English/British, May 1st), Calan Mai (Welsh), Walpurgisnacht (Walpurgis Night, German), Roodmas (Scottish) and Cétshamhain (Irish), International Workers Day (Global, May 1st), Yom HaShoah (Judaism), Lag BaOmer/Lag B'Omer/Lag LaOmer (Jewish), Shavuot/Shavuos or known as the Feast of Weeks (Jewish & Samaritan, usually in May but sometimes in June), Vesak/Buddha Day (Buddhist in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Tibet and Mongolia), Star Wars Day (Global, May 4th), Cinco de Mayo (Mexican, May 5th), Matariki/Maori New Year (Maori & New Zealanders, late May, sometimes June or July) and Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Remembrance Day (Israelis, late April or early to mid May, based on lyar, Hebrew calendar).

Strawberry Cake sweetly marks the peak of Spring and May Day/Beltane celebrations gloriously as we eagerly gaze into the beginnings of Summer. Happy May Day/Beltane to all who celebrate!   

Strawberry Cake

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2 cups (250 g) unbleached all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg, room temperature

3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar

1/4 (50 g) cup packed dark brown sugar

1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk

1/3 cup (80 ml) olive oil

2 teaspoons almond extract

2 cups chopped fresh or frozen (defrosted) strawberries 

1 tablespoon flour, to toss the strawberries in

sliced almonds for decorating

Icing:

1 cup icing sugar

1 tablespoon hot water

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 drop of red food colouring, optional 

In a bowl whisk together the icing sugar, hot water and almond extract until smooth. 

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Lightly grease and flour a 2lb. loaf tin and line the bottom with baking parchment.

Place the chopped strawberries in a medium bowl and toss with the 1 tablespoon of flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the floured strawberries and give a light toss. 

In another bowl whisk the egg, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar and then add the buttermilk, olive oil and almond extract and whisk until smooth and combined, there should be no brown sugar lumps. Pour this mixture into the flour mixture and gently stir together until just combine. Do not over-mix. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking tin and smooth the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 55 - 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean, a few moist crumbs should be fine. Check half way through the baking time and if you find the top of the cake browning too quickly then loosely cover with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning.  

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to rest in the baking tin on a wire rack for 3o minutes before carefully removing from the tin and place the cake back on the wire rack to cool completely. 

Once the cake has cooled. Make the icing, see recipe above, drizzle over the cake and sprinkle with sliced almonds. 

Notes: if you do have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to a measuring cup and fill milk to the 1 cup measure, stir, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. 

 

Food Photo of the Day ~ Summer Fruit

You know which fruits were on sale with this fruit salad. Buying fruit on sale is a great way to spruce up a classic, add life to a basic, and store fresh fruit in the freezer that will be enjoyed during those wintery months. Strawberries, blueberries and mango graced our dessert bowl and with a little bit of crème fraiche or Devonshire cream or whip cream this fruit salad is light and dreamy. 

With an overabundance of mango, I made a slow cooker vegetable lentil curry adding freshly chopped mangoes to the recipe. Just a hint of sweetness with a lovely spicy savoury flavour this curry was absolutely perfect. 

Notes: I used the slow cooker lentil butternut squash recipe I posted about before except I omitted the butternut squash and added chopped fresh cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, and, of course, freshly chopped mango. All other ingredients remained the same.    

Breakfast and Cricket

Over the past few days we have been watching the last of the England vs. India test matches in Cricket. They have been very exciting and finished with England winning, today! Here are the breakfast I made and served during the past few matches.  

Scones with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and a pot of Earl Grey tea.   

Pancakes, bacon, breakfast sausage with watermelon, and blackberries and a pot of Royal Assam tea.

English crumpets, deviled eggs, and bacon with a pot of Darjeeling tea.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! - JW  

Strawberry Raspberry Cheesecake

All this week I made some form of chocolate treats. However this was going to be a secret for my Valentine, my husband. There was no hiding the refrigerator stacked with berries, something round hidden under sheets of foil wrap and the smell of melting chocolate. Since I had melted too much chocolate and there were left over berries I felt compelled to share an early Valentine's Day treat. Sometimes there are benefits when one hangs around the kitchen. I prefer baked cheesecakes and this one was very easy to whip up.

  

Cheesecake

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1 1/4 cup graham crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter

3 - 250g packages of cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

spoonful of lemon juice

spoonful of lemon zest

Combine the graham crumbs and butter together. Press into a spring form pan.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until just blended. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Pour into crust. 

Bake at 350ºF for 45-50 minutes or until centre is almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Decorate as you desire. 

Notes - By far this is as simple as cheesecakes can get. It is pretty much foolproof. You can certainly change up the crust by using chocolate or vanilla cookie crumbs. Try digestive biscuits. Also adding spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, and nutmeg to the crust mixture is lovely. You can add orange or lime zest instead of the traditional lemon. Adding liqueur for a more grown-up sophisticated cheesecake. You can purée the fruit however I prefer fresh fruit. Simple things like chocolate, dried fruit, and nuts. The possibilities are truly endless. 

     

Late Night Baking

I followed the recipe for the vegan blueberry banana bread, I posted about last week, and I replace the blueberries with a cup of diced strawberries. Warm baked strawberries smell divine and are just as comforting. This version was equally good. Also very delicious! Although I do think I prefer the bread with blueberries. It has been raining steadily for  most of the morning with no signs of blue skies anytime soon so this makes for a lovely treat on a day like today. - JW 

Rhubarb and Mixed Berry Crumble

Over the weekend this became a joint effort. Not that it takes two people to make a rainy day dessert. More like my fiancé went out to the garden to collect some rhubarb, came up with the idea for a dessert and I felt compelled to get my hands in there while things were coming together in the kitchen. Honestly I don't need an excuse to take over the helm in the kitchen... I just get in there! This was the best comfort food on a rainy day. The sharp tart taste was balance by the sweetness of the mixed berries and crumble. Super easy and so delicious. Enjoy! - JW   

Rhubarb and Mixed Berry Crumble

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4-5 cups of rhubarb stalks 

2-3 cups mixed berries

1 cup caster sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

4 oz (125g) of butter

3/4 cup of white flour 

Pre heat the over to 200ºC / 400ºF.

Wash and cut up the rhubarb stalks into 2cm / 1 inch pieces. Making sure all the leafy parts are cut of - they are poisonous.

Melt the butter and add both of the sugars and flour. Mix well to create a crumbly mixture.

Put the rhubarb and mixed berries into a lovely oven proof dish. Cover with the crumble mixture. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until crumble is browned and crisp. 

Let cool for a bit before serving. May be served with ice cream or whip cream. 

Note: You could cut down the caster sugar a bit if you find it too sweet however that would elevate the tartness. 

Sunday Morning #2

Nothing beats this breakfast. Apple and pecan french toast with syrup and a side of strawberries and whipped cream. A sweet and lovely way to start the day! - JW  

Valentine's Day

Sometimes it is the simplest things that mean the most. And a way to anyone's heart is through their stomach... on Valentine's Day! Yesterday I made these treats to share and surprise my kidlets in their lunch boxes. The cookie recipe asked for sour cream and I just happened to have enough in my refrigerator. They are more cake like than biscuit like. It adds for an interesting texture.    

Sometimes a hint is all you need. I drizzled a few with melted dark chocolate to add a bit of sweetness.  

Having some left over crêpes served it's purpose by spreading them with almond butter and sliced strawberries. To make them really Valentine's Day worthy you can add melted chocolate on top! You don't have to look far and wide on Valentine's Day because inspiration is everywhere even in your kitchen!  

Banana Pancakes

They look like regular pancakes however they are not. I had a few over ripe banana's so I decided to peel and mash them and add the mash to the pancake batter. I served them with whipped cream, strawberries and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. They were simply delicious! It is a great way to change a classic weekend breakfast. Regular pancakes step aside, these have become my favourite! - JW 

Mother's Day Breakfast

Sunday breakfasts usually consist of one of the following... pancakes, french toast, crepes or eggs with bacon. Since it was Mother's Day my two children wanted to make me breakfast. Very sweet! When I asked what should we make, we being me included because I knew they would need a helping hand, my son said "well... I would like crepes" and my daughter said "I want french toast!" I sat there looking a both of them trying to decipher where I fitted in to the breakfast equation. After much consideration I decided on my version of Strawberry Shortcake. Both kidlets agreed and when I woke this morning I got straight to work. I made scones and topped them with strawberries and blackberries. Added a dollop of whipping cream and grated lemon rind. Every bit was mouth watering and were enjoyed by everyone. To all the domestic goddesses out there Happy Mother's Day! - JW