I read a wonderful article last week, Sacred Strawberrying Time! about strawberries and their symbolism to Indigenous peoples of the Eastern nations (like the Cherokee, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Ojibway, Shawnee, and hundreds of others), where it is referred to as the “heart berry” and is strongly linked to women.

I thought this made perfect sense when I read it and I have been thinking about the article every since, especially because strawberries are in season right now in Vermont and all over the place.

The berry is shaped much like a heart and of course it is red, the color of love, the color of the actual human heart. I loved the sentiment shared in the article:

“Strawberry is the first berry to ripen of all the berries in the East, and this also makes her special. She reminds us of the sweetness of life after the long barren winter has passed, and that this sweetness is available to all people” ~ Dr. Mays

I made this cake with sweetness in mind and celebration. I made it for all the people I love in my household, all of whom really love strawberries, especially my daughter Alba Rose, who has discovered strawberries for the first time in her young life and has been in love with them since her first bite. It reminds me of our connection, because when I was pregnant with her, I craved strawberries like crazy, a fruit that has never been my favorite, yet is one of her father’s favorites. It reminded me how we are all linked together as a family and that makes me smile, really big.

The funny thing is that my oven broke right as it was pre-heating to bake this cake, but like a forgiving heart, the cake was very forgiving. I had decided on a Joconde cake, which is basically a sponge cake made with almond flour and therefore needs only a few minutes to bake. I started baking it in the oven, and finished it off in a preheated grill! So don’t be discouraged by the steps in this recipe, because it only takes about one hour of active kitchen time. 

To learn how to make this delicious and heart-warming cake, please grab a copy of my book

Love in Every Bite: The Secret to Cooking Healthy Recipes with Positive Energy.

UP THE YUM: If you add blueberries to your heart berry cake, you can take it to one of your Independence Day celebrations this upcoming weekend!

FEED YOUR CHAKRAS: As you might guess this is a great recipe to feed the heart chakra. Although red food are usually associated with the root chakra, strawberries fit both categories.