On the weekend we celebrated my Mum's 'special birthday'. Turning 60 is a milestone so I thought I would make an extra special effort and make her a birthday cake myself.
After baking 3 yummy layers of butter cake I decided on a white chocolate ganache fondant topped off with crystallised rose petals picked fresh from my rose garden.
I searched the net for a guide and found the perfect instructions from Martha Stewart . As always she is a constant wealth of information and her recipes are tried and true.
Click on the link for her instructions.
In the morning I selected a few rose heads and buds from my 'Iceberg Seduction' rose bush. I soaked the heads and buds in water removing any unwanted guests and dirt. My roses are organic and chemical free so they were perfect to use. Chemically sprayed roses are not suitable due to poisoning risks.
I then dissected the rose petals and laid them out flat on a clean towel to dry them off.
After a few hours I began my crystallising process.
I began by using 1 egg white diluted by a couple of drops of water.
Using a brand new paintbrush I carefully painted each rose petal both back and front with the egg white and then carefully using a pair of tweezers, I sprinkled castor sugar over each petal.
It was a long and slow process but well worth the trouble.
After completing each petal I laid them carefully on a sheet of baking paper, covered them with another sheet of baking paper and left them for 8 hours to dry out.
I would suggest leaving them overnight but due to time cons taints I had no choice but to use them then.
They looked amazing but some were still a little wet.
Martha suggested that they keep for up to 12 months when stored in a sealed container.
It was much easier to crystallise each individual petal however I wanted to include a bloom or 2 and some buds on my cake so I crystallised this whole flower head as well.
Each petal was painted in egg white and sprinkled with sugar and laid out flat on a baking paper lined tray to dry.
Don't they look just so pretty ?
I plan on making a lovely big container of them next Spring when my first flush of roses come out. A mixture of different colour pinks would look stunning !
See you all tomorrow
Melanie
x
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