Cynthia L. Herzog 
April showers bring May flowers, or so the old saying goes. But here in the Midwest, spring flowers are already blooming. You probably have edible ones in your garden right now – roses, lilacs, redbud, violets, grape hyacinths, dandelions, pansies, wood sorrel and honeysuckle, to name a few.
Please note that not all flowers are edible. Don’t eat flowers that you can’t identify with certainty or that may have been sprayed with pesticides.
Topped with delicate edible flowers and delicate pink icing, either or both of these desserts would be great additions to any springtime occasion that calls for a cake. The recipes are taken from a delicious soon-to-be-released cookbook, “Tea at the Palace: A Cookbook — 50 Afternoon Tea Recipes From a Royal Chef” by Carolyn Robb (Weldon Owen, April 19).
Robb served as personal chef to the British Royal Family for 13 years, first to the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, then to Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Princes William and Harry; and although most of the recipes are those she prepared for the family, the book doesn’t really talk about them. You’ll find a plethora of sweet recipes and a handful of savory treats, all suitable for tea, as well as bits of British baking history and information about each of the royal residences featured in the book.
Gluten-free bakers will be delighted to see several suitable recipes, including one of the cakes here.
The book is divided into chapters representing a dozen famous residences — Buckingham Palace, Sandringham House, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Brighton Pavilion, Highgrove House, Blenheim Palace, Balmoral Castle, The Castle of Mey, Kew Palace, Windsor Castle and Caernarfon Castle – with recipes linked to each residence, whether symbolically, figuratively or historically.
For example, the following recipes are from the Kew Palace Chapter. Kew Palace, the weekend retreat of several generations of Georgian royalty, is located in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The link with the gardens is their floral and botanical flavors.
Robb calls for baking these cakes in tiny 3 x 1 ¾ inch pans, which I don’t have, so I used “regular” mini loaf pans instead. I imagine you could also bake it in a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan, but you would need to increase the baking time considerably. The dough is mixed entirely by hand, which some bakers may find a little strenuous – especially the creaming of the butter and sugar – but if your butter is soft enough, it’s doable.
THE RECIPES
MINI BREAD WITH VANILLA, GINGER AND BUTTERMILK
Yield: 12 mini loaves
FOR THE CAKE
1 cup (225 grams) butter, at room temperature
1 cup PLUS 1 tablespoon (225 grams) granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups (140 grams) almond flour/flour
1 cup (125 grams) gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
3 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 pieces stem ginger in syrup, finely grated (see note)
1 tablespoon stem ginger syrup
FOR THE GLAZE
1 cup (125g) icing sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of water
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
For the decoration:
Small fresh edible flowers (I used violets, grape hyacinths and red flowers)
Confectioner’s sugar, for sprinkling
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of 12 loaf pans (3 x 1 3/4 in) or four loaf pans (5 3/4 x 3 1/4 in) with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum until fully incorporated. Stir in buttermilk, vanilla, grated ginger and ginger syrup.
Divide batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake until cakes are golden brown and tops spring back to the touch, 15 to 18 minutes for rolls, 28 to 30 minutes for mini buns. Let the cakes cool in the pans on a wire rack for several minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment paper if necessary and place them on the wire rack. Place rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the icing sugar, lemon juice and water. Cook, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved. The glaze should be liquid and translucent, but not necessarily clear. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest.
While the cakes are still warm, brush the frosting over the top and sides of each cake, then let cool completely. Just before serving, garnish each with flowers and a light dusting of icing sugar.
Note: Front Burner posted a ginger stalk recipe in the Flavors section on April 13. Check it out at bit.ly/3M4ctxY.
PINK AND WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
Makes: 12 standard cupcakes or 24 mini cupcakes.
FOR THE CAKE
3/4 cup (170 grams) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons (175 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups (175 grams) cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Choice of red or pink food coloring
FOR THE BUTTERCREAM
3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) white chocolate, chopped
7 tablespoons (100 grams) butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (100 grams) icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
A few drops of rose water
Choice of red or pink food coloring
Rose petals, optional
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 mini muffin cups or 12 standard muffin cups with paper cups. Lightly coat each liner with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla then add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together the flour and baking powder directly into the bowl with the creamed mixture. Mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add food coloring drop by drop, mixing after each addition, until desired color is achieved.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, dividing evenly. Bake until cakes are springy to the touch and a wooden tester inserted near the center comes out clean; 10-12 minutes for mini cakes or 12-18 minutes for standard cakes. Cool in pan on wire rack for a few minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan and cool completely.
While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the buttercream. In the top of a double boiler or medium glass or metal bowl set over a saucepan with about an inch of barely simmering water, melt the white chocolate, stirring occasionally. time until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
In a mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the icing sugar, continue beating until the mixture is very light and creamy. With the mixer running, gradually pour in the cooled melted chocolate and continue beating until all the chocolate has been added and the mixture is well blended. Divide the buttercream evenly between two bowls. Stir in the vanilla in a bowl. Add a drop or three of rose water and a drop or two of food coloring to the other bowl, stirring between additions and adding just enough coloring to achieve your desired pink color. Transfer the frostings to piping bags.
When cupcakes are completely cooled, swirl buttercream on top of each. If desired, garnish with rose petals.
