Apple and Rosewater Cupcakes - Random Recipe

As previously explained I had a lot of sugared rose petals looking for a raison d'etre this week, so we created this recipe, like a summer frankenstein, out of carrot cakes and neccessity. Also I bought Rosewater in a weak moment last year and it's quite hard to find recipes to use it up in. Try these if you dare......




Ingredients:

100g Brown Sugar
160ml Sunflower Oil
2 eggs
1 tblsp Rosewater
200g Self-Raising Flour
150g Grated (cooking) Apple

Preheat oven to 180 (GM4)

Beat the eggs, then add to the sugar in a large bowl.
Mix in the oil, and rosewater.
Sift in the flour, then finally fold in the grated apple.

Spoon into 12 bun cases and bake for 20 mins until well risen.

Remove to wire rack to cool

We put a little pink coloured water icing on top of ours, with the sugared rose petals.

Make It! Old-fashioned Sugared Rosepetals

After discovering the joys of looking through recipe books, my daughter asked recently if it was possible to eat flowers - after all, here they were decorating salads and cakes in  this book. Although slightly contradictory to my careful messages about 'what is food/what is not food' we went with the suggestion, and tried making sugared rose petals. 

I remembered making these with my mother quite a bit (not sure why!? She is not a fancy cake maker) and they are, as it turns out, quite easy to make. Although, they use uncooked egg white so if egg is a problem in your house, be warned!

You need:

Edible Petals, such as Rose. Choose some nice shapely ones from the middle of the rose.
Egg white
Caster sugar
Two plates/shallow bowls
Lined tray or clean plastic board

Method:

You can wash the petals lightly then shake dry if you need to.
Put the egg white and caster sugar onto two plates/wide shallow bowls .
Holding the petal lightly dip both sides into the egg white, then into the sugar.

Leave on your tray/board to dry for at least an hour. We used to put ours in the airing cupboard but mine dried out fine in the kitchen this time. I guess the key is to dry them somewhere not too humid.

Lovely lovely on top of little cupcakes, not so great just eaten on their own!!

We made some Apple and Rosewater Cakes to put these on, an entirely made up cake recipe derived from my need to use up apples and the existence of the sugared rose petals. They turned out very tasty, and what they hey, I'll post up that recipe if you like.

Spring! March Flowers at last

There has been such a long run of cold wet weather that it's been hard to get into the garden and inspect what is going on. At last! A few sunny days last week and all the old friends appear. What I love about this time of year is that areas which were previously completely empty and glum are suddenly brightened, as if overnight, by the arrival of some small flower. 

Witch Hazel/Hamamelis, I think

 First, the terribly large, apparently boring bush at the side of the patio suddenly bursts into tiny delicate white blossoms that have a beautiful smell. Hello, Witch Hazel.

Then the darkest dampest corner of the garden has it's moment. Apparently nothing in the world likes to grow there - apart from Hellebores!! - there are huge clumps of the lush white and purple flowers there are the moment (they're not called Lenten Roses for nothing). The rest of the year the bed is a bit yawny with nothing but great sprays of dark green hellebore leaves, but right now it's a knockout.

Hellebore

My favourite, most tiny performer in the garden over the last month has been the little Iris. I planted lots of bulbs a few years ago, to see if I could get some more flowers going - we're a bit of a shrubbery most of the time - these are always so very pretty winking at you in the cold. How reassuring they are, the little frontrunners of another lovely gardening year?!

Iris (Reticulata)?

Life through a Slim Lens

Firstly, many thanks to Claire from Life through a Slim Lens, who has sent me some lovely orchid cards which I won (whoop whoop) in her blog giveaway. She is celebrating her 1st bloggerversary(!), so thanks and congratulations! Check out her lovely photography blog.