STORING AND PRESERVING

There are a variety of ways to prepare edible flowers which will allow you to use them in many different aspects of baking, and also helps to preserve them so they are available when you need them, rather than just when they are seasonally in flower. A classic example is when I make elderflower syrup in June, so I can use it for the rest of the year. Once you have picked edible flowers, keep them in the fridge until you are ready either to use them fresh on a cake, or preserve them. A good tip is to sit them on a little piece of kitchen paper that has been dampened with water, this helps to keep them fresh. They need to be kept like this as otherwise they will die very quickly.

FLORAL SYRUPS

These are lovely to drizzle onto sponges or add to toppings or fillings – I've used elderflower in the Jelly and Cream Sponge Cake on page 76, for example. You can use a range of flowers to make delicious syrups, including lavender, rose, hibiscus and violets, and also many herbs, so just experiment to see what you like.

ELDERFLOWER CORDIAL RECIPE

Elderflower is so abundant in our gardens in the UK, but when its season is over it's gone. However, you can bottle its delicious floral flavour for use all year round with this syrup. It lasts for a couple of months in the fridge, and can be frozen in ice cube trays or food bags and defrosted as needed.

Ingredients

2.25kg (5lb) white caster (superfine) sugar

2 large unwaxed lemons, zest pared and fruit sliced

20–24 fresh elderflower heads, stalks removed 80g (23/4oz) citric acid

Method

1. Shake off the elderflowers to get rid of any debris or little bugs, then swish them around in a large bowl or bucket of clean water, lift out and shake off the excess water.

2. Put the sugar and 1.5ltrs (23/4 pints) water into a large saucepan and heat gently until the sugar granules are all dissolved, stirring occasionally. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, bring the pan of syrup to the boil and let it bubble for a minute, then turn off the heat.

3. Add the elderflower heads, lemon zest and slices and citric acid to the syrup and stir well. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 24 hours, stirring halfway through that time.

4. Strain through a muslin or clean tea towel. Use a funnel or ladle to fill sterilised bottles. Chill or freeze as needed.

SUSPENDING IN SUGAR

I've found that melting down clear mints and adding edible flowers works really well. I've done this to make my Sugar Lollies on page 46. Once encapsulated in the sweets, the flowers will last well for a couple of weeks, suspended in sugary time.

CRYSTALLISING EDIBLE FLOWERS

Crystallising is a pretty way to preserve flowers – they are a sweet crisp sugar-coated treat.

There are a few ways you can do this and most flowers can be crystallised, though some are more fiddly than others. For example very tiny soft delicate petals are trickier than simple large rose petals, it just takes time and patience. The most important thing is to ensure you coat all of the petals completely, so you may have to wiggle the brush in between petals. I used this method for the preserved dahlias in this book, it took a while but the effect was really beautiful. They looked lovely as giant pom pom decorations for my Ganache Cupcakes on page 54.

The most common method is to use egg white and sugar. Once preserved like this, the flowers will certainly keep for a few weeks, and depending on the variety, crystallised flowers can last for many months if you substitute the egg for Gum Arabic (see below) and store them in a cake box layered between paper and kept out of sunlight, in a cool, dry place.

VEGAN-FRIENDLY CRYSTALLISING

For a longer life you can use food grade Gum Arabic to adhere the sugar to the flowers. With egg white the crystallised flowers will last a couple of weeks, but with Gum Arabic they will store for several weeks or in some cases months. Gum Arabic can be bought online or ordered in from a good chemist. A small pot is not expensive and lasts for ages. To use this, dilute a couple of teaspoons of Gum Arabic into a flavourless alcohol such as vodka until you have a consistency slightly thinner than single cream. The Gum Arabic will need to be left to sit in the alcohol overnight to ensure that it properly dissolves. This is also a good method if you are making a cake for vegans or anyone with an egg allergy. I have also used chickpea water (aqua faba) for crystallising flowers and it worked extremely well. Treat it in the same way you would egg white. It's a little thinner but it works and is perfect for vegans.

Method

1. Fine white caster (superfine) sugar is best for crystallising. Using a soft, fine paintbrush, gently paint either with egg white, aqua faba or Gum Arabic liquid onto the edible flowers (on both sides of the petals).

2. Then sprinkle the sugar carefully all over them – on both sides and in the cracks and crevices – so that it adheres. Knock off any surplus sugar and place on a baking sheet, lined with baking parchment, to dry. If you get too much sugar stuck to the petals, the flowers can get pulled out of shape and flattened, so this process may take a bit of practice.

3. Depending on the temperature in the room, the flowers may take a few hours to dry and should then be kept in an airtight container until use. The colour can also fade from the flowers if they are kept in direct sunlight, so store them carefully.

PRESSING EDIBLE FLOWERS AND LEAVES

Pressing edible flowers is the same as pressing any flowers. It is simple to do. I use a flower press because I like to do a lot! Presses are inexpensive, but you can of course stick to the old-fashioned method of using heavy books. Remember that it's important to have good paper to press with, blotting paper is best.

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