Beltane Spelled Strawberry Bread

Kitchen witchcraft had never been a particular strong suit of mine. While I am always a sucker for associations, I don’t really enjoy being in the kitchen and working on complicated dishes (at least, not like my mom-she’s the real kitchen witch in the family!) But I do enjoy my sweets and baking them, and the strawberry bread (I say bread but it’s closer to a cake honestly) has been a big hit because it’s delicious, easy to make, and even easier to enchant!

Strawberry Associations in Magic:

• Fertility & sensuality
• Lust & desire
• Luck & good fortune
• Friendship, healing & abundance
• Dedication to romance or a relationship
• Happiness & success

Note: you can substitute strawberries for a fruit of your choice for magical intent or allergies- when I make this in the fall when strawberries are out of season, I use pomegranates to honor my work with Persephone!

I will share the recipe first, then some ways you can enchant this bread depending on your intent and the above associations

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries
• 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 1/2 cup flour

*Makes one loaf- adjust as needed for multiple

INSTRUCTIONS:

I start by preheating the oven to 350 so it is ready to go when you finish prepping.

Cut up the strawberries and pat dry as best as possible with a cloth or paper towel. This will help ensure the loaf bakes through more easily.

Add your wet and dry ingredients in two separate mixing bowls (tell me how I found out sugar was considered a ‘wet’ ingredient solely from this recipe)

Mix the wet ingredients in its mixing bowl, then the dry, then combine both and whisk until the batter is thick and well mixed.

Grease a loaf pan with butter and add a layer of batter, then strawberries, batter, strawberries. It will most likely not stay in this exact order but it helps to make sure the strawberries aren’t poking out of the bread and drying out in the oven.

Bake at 350 for 55-70 minutes (Start a timer for 55 minutes, then check every 5-10 minutes thereafter until the loaf is completely baked through- the more loaves you make at a time the longer it usually takes. To check if it’s ready, I take a small wooden smores stick and poke a tiny hold in the center of the loaf. if it comes back gooey, leave in for another 5-10 minutes)

Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack.

Best served warm with whipped cream, ice cream, and drizzled with chocolate (I’m hungry just thinking about it!)

POSSIBLE MAGICAL USES:

Serve with cardamom tea and share a piece with a lover to ensure a long and healthy relationship.

Draw sigils into the dough before baking for love, trust, friendship.

For some domination magic, add honey to a loaf and feed it to someone you want to ‘sweeten’ to your will. I have used this method before with great success.

Leave a small piece as an offering for your spirits and ancestors. I wouldn’t leave this out for longer than 24 hours to avoid attracting insects. You can also bring it to your local water. and offer some to the guardians of that water.

I have used this to sweeten my creativity before as well. I pair the bread with ice cream, whipped cream and drizzle with chocolate. You can then pair it with a creativity candle. You can also ask mermaids to assist in exchange for a small amount, then sit down to write once finished. It has definitely influenced the quality of my writing!

Happy Beltane Sea Stars!