These were my very last-minute treats for last year’s Samhain celebrations. The cake I made was a disaster, and the second was carried off by crows while cooling outside. Casting around for a quick solution I spied the barberry bushes that line our driveway and came up with this simple sponge that takes all 3 minutes in the microwave. It turns out similar to a steamed pudding but is drenched in a tart & wickedly delicious Barberry Syrup. And if you’ve got some Barberry bushes nearby (and it’s very likely you do) this little dessert can be concocted in no time at all. 

Magically barberry is a protective plant with a long association with Samhain. Carrying a sprig this night or placing it over your front door and windows helped to ward off any lurking ghouls or malevolent spirits.  You could also place a barberry branch in your path because “no evil could cross it”. One of its many names is Holy Thorn, some believe it was part of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus. In 18th century England, the Church advised young children to carry a spring on All Hallows Night as it reputedly terrified witches. This is interesting one of the barberry’s folkloric names is Witches Sweets!

There are over 500 kinds of Barberry bushes growing around the world. Chock full of vitamin C, their plump tiny jewel-like berries taste like mini cranberries and have been used medicinally all over the world from Ancient Egypt to Asia to the Americas. Best known are the Common Barberry and the Japanese Barberry, (which is pictured above) as both are used prolifically in landscape gardening across North America and Europe – and many have naturalized and gone invasive.

Barberry Syrup was used in traditional European medicine for fever, infections, colds, and flu. In France, barberries were used in invigorating tonic syrups. Barberries contain berberine, a naturally occurring alkaloid with many beneficial uses from soothing inflammation, easing arthritis, balancing blood pressure, protecting the liver, supporting the digestive tract, and boosting the immune system. A study published in the journal Pharmacological Research compared barberry to 109 other non-Berberis species. They found barberry to be the best overall antioxidant. Studies on the Japanese Barberry reveal it is also high in antioxidant properties “acts as an anti-obesity and hypoglycemic agent “and can improve the function of liver enzymes”.

Berberine has been reported to cause gastrointestinal discomfort, so give the berries a tasting test before consuming large amounts of barberry. That said, these side effects usually seem to be the result of berberine supplements and not the actual berries. 

I use barberries in fruitcakes, cookies, and jam, sprinkle them on herb-infused rice and grain dishes, and extract their many medicinal properties in herbal vinegar. The berries are very high in pectin and making jams and jellies from barberries (known as pipperages) is a very old English custom. According to an article in The New England Farmer in the early 1800s, “Barberry jelly, ruby clear, is the finest table jelly to serve with venison and other high-flavored roasts, and epicures will have no other when they have once tried it.” There is also a famous French Marmalade called Confitures D’epine Vinette.

The Barberry Sweet Relish above (recipe in the Gather E-Cookery Book for Patrons) was inspired by my research into pickles which were for hundreds of years, far more fancy culinary affairs than those today.  Sixteenth and Eighteenth century also include radish pods, artichokes, fennel & fennel seeds,  beetroot, red currants, melons, and peaches, often done in wine vinegar.

Beeton’s Book of Household Management advises barberries can also be used as “ a dry sweetmeat, and in sugar-plums or comfits” or pickled with vinegar”. They were added to preserved fruits to add a tart flavor, and to make barberry sherbet, chutney, and wine.  A traditional Russian candy called Barberis is made from berries, and they are a favorite in Middle Eastern Cooking. One popular dish is Tancheen (golden saffron rice) studded with Zereshk( barberries) and often enriched with yogurt and herbs. Yum. 

 Berberis vulgaris or Common Barberry is native to central and southern Europe, Africa, and Asia and grows berries in hanging clumps while the Japanese Barberry Berberis thunbergii berries grow either single or in pairs. I harvest the Japanese Barberry, as it grows abundantly throughout my neighborhood as ornamental shrubbery and every year they yield thousands upon thousands of berries – all untouched. The Japanese Barberry is easily recognizable with its abundant thorns, the leaf margin is not serrated (it is smooth), its leaves turn to burgundy in the fall, then when they fall they leave a bare spiky branch glistening with berries.

In New England, it was introduced for hedgerows and other plantings back in the late 1800s and by 1910 it was recognized as a frequent garden escapee. While I’ve never seen this shrub naturalized anywhere on Vancouver Island in the northeast United States and Canada, it is considered a highly invasive shrub forming dense thickets throughout pastures and forests. NOTE:  If you’re harvesting from a “wild” Japanese Barberry, apparently they are a haven for ticks so don’t pick from these until mid-winter.

Berries can be gathered starting in the fall, through the winter, and right into spring. The fruit stays on the branches and doesn’t rot.  It only took me 15 minutes to gather what I needed for the syrup recipe – and more besides – which I’ll use for tonic elixirs, and vinegars and dry some for use in teas and cooking.

So if you’re looking for a quick and bewitching treat for Samhain, these cakes should do the trick.  If you can’t find Japanese barberries outdoors you can commonly purchase dried common barberry from middle -eastern grocers. You need the whole berries, however, and you will need more water and a longer cooking time to soften them up.

May you have a happy & festive Hallowed Holiday!

WITCHES SWEETS

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Barberry Syrup (directions below)
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup golden brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¾ cup plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 small lemons, zest, and juice
• 1-2 tbsp milk

Directions

1. Grease a glass dish (suitable for the microwave). Set aside.
2. Beat the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder together in a bowl, then mix in the eggs, baking powder, and flour.
3. Add the lemon juice and zest, and add enough milk so that it holds as a firm dough – you don’t want it runny.  Let sit for 20 minutes, then shape it into a ball and place it in your dish. You can also subdivide the dough into small balls – which I did. I used small ramekins to shape them.
4. Spoon 3 -4 tablespoons of the syrup into the bottom of the greased bowl. Cover tightly and microwave on full power for 3-4 minutes (or until the sponge begins to shrink from the sides or is springy to the touch). If you do smaller versions, start at two minutes, depending on size they may need longer. 
5. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before turning out. Pour the remaining syrup over the top. Enjoy. Lovely with ice cream. 

Barberry Syrup

Ingredients

• 4 cups barberries
• 2 cups cold water
• 1 orange rind, grated
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 tsp of ground cardamom

Directions

1. Place water, orange rind, sugar and cardamom into a saucepan.
2. Mix well and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add the washed and stemmed ripe berries.
4. Cook till the berries begin to pop and syrup begins to thicken (approx. 15 minutes)
5.  Strain off berries with a sieve. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Liked it? Take a second to support Gather Victoria on Patreon!