As today is World Baking Day and
we’re still waiting for Summer to appear, I thought it might be pertinent to
offer a little summer scented sunshine. These fragrant fairies are reminiscent of a garden in summer and perfect with
a cup (fine china of course dear) of Earl Grey tea and a Jane Austen novel.
Rose Scented Fairy Cakes
Ingredients
115g or 4 oz butter
115g or 4 oz caster sugar
2 free range eggs
115g or 4 oz self raising flour
1 tablespoon rose water
12 pretty pink paper cases
Rose Icing
200g or 7 oz Icing Sugar
4 tablespoons rose water
Frosted Petals
12 freshly plucked rose petals
1 egg white
1 tablespoon caster sugar
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 180°c/350°f/Gas
Mark 4 and fill a cake pan with 12 large paper cases – or 24 small ones (for
the less robust). Now beat the sugar and butter together until light and
fluffy, add the eggs one at a time and keep beating. Now sift the flour and
fold it into the mixture. Open the rosewater and stop and smell the roses for a
minute ah...that’s better. Now stir in the rosewater and put the heavenly
scented batter into the fairy cases and pop into the oven for about 20 minutes
until golden and springy to the touch.
As the cakes bake, filling the kitchen with divine
fragrance, imagine you’re in a rose garden and pluck petals from a (preferably
pink) rose and brush each rose petal with the egg white, covering it
completely, but lightly (don’t soak it.*) Now with a fragrant flourish,
sprinkle with caster sugar and leave to dry.
NB* I find garden roses are great for crystallizing
but tend to wrinkle more than bought, cut roses so be very light with the egg
white.
For the icing
Once the cakes are cooled, begin
on the icing. Mix the sugar and rose water together to form a thick paste and
add the tiniest drop of pink food colouring (to match the rose petal colour or
perhaps a little lighter). Apply icing to the cooled cakes and top with a
sugared rose petal. Dig out your best china, place exquisite rose-topped fairy
on the china, make a pot of pale golden Earl Grey and enjoy a little Jane
Austen under a willow tree in the garden.
