Last week my boyfriend James and I celebrated Beltane for the first time. Beltane is an old pagan holiday that celebrates the midpoint between spring and summer. It’s traditionally celebrated by having a bonfire, sipping may wine, eating a traditional oatmeal cake, and of course, by constructing a May Pole. Festivities begin on April 30 and are continued through the next day, May 1st.
Although we didn’t have a May Pole, I did make a small mobile decoration out of an embroidery hoop and ribbon to hang in our living room.
For dinner we made herb & citrus baked chicken (recipe from The Comfort of Cooking) with a green herb salad with strawberries, avocado and goat cheese. Both turned out delicious!
For dessert, I made the traditional Beltane treat, Oatmeal Cake. I adapted a recipe from Jenny Can Cook and it turned out delicious. It has a muffin-like texture making it the perfect dessert when topped with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. Plus you can have a slice for breakfast with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey the next morning!
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1¼ cups boiling water
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole grain pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup + 1 Tablespoon oil (canola or extra light olive oil)
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup + 1 Tablespoon sugar
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla
- Topping:
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sweetened flaked coconut
- ⅓ cup diced pecans (preferably toasted)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9-inch round cake pan. Pour boiling water over the oats in a small bowl and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Using an electric mixer and a large bowl, beat oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla for 2-3 minutes on medium-high speed until thick.
- On lowest speed, slowly stir in warm oats, followed by the flour mixture. Bake 35 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Let cool.
- Next prepare the topping. In a small bowl combine the softened butter, brown sugar, flaked coconut and diced pecans using your fingers.
- Cover cake with topping and broil for about one minute until just browned. Be sure to watch it carefully as it will brown very quickly!
- 1 bottle white wine
- 1 bottle champagne
- ½ cup chopped strawberries
- 1 small bunch of sweet woodruff (or substitute with an herb of your choice)
- Ice
- In a large pitcher, combine the wine and sweet woodruff and let infuse for at least 1 hour or overnight. I wasn't able to find any sweet woodruff so I substituted some pineapple sage instead. Feel free to do the same with any fresh herb of your choice.
- Next pour in the champagne and strawberries. Serve over ice.
