This is a lovely old-fashioned icing to make for your cakes. It goes particularly well with a lemon cake and is guaranteed to give your guests a pleasant surprise.
Wendyl found the recipe in an old herb book from the 70s; it says it was once known as ‘conserve of lavender flowers’ and that the original recipe was in The Queen’s Closet Opened, written by W.M and published in 1655, it contained recipes from the kitchen of Queen Henrietta Maria.
How special to revive such an old recipe?
Old Fashioned Lavender Icing
10 stalks English or French lavender flowers
4 tbsp Icing sugar
4 tsp Rosewater* (approximately)
Rub the flowers off the stalks and chop finely, making about 1 tbsp of chopped petals. Beat the sifted icing sugar and flowers together in a bowl, then add enough rosewater to make a thin paste. Spread sparingly on top of plain sweet biscuits or over a plain cake or cup cakes and allow to set.
*Do make sure you use a fragrant lavender flower, some ornamental lavender bushes do not have a strong fragrance.
You can buy rosewater from many ethnic food stores.
Photo by Heather Ford
About The Author: Triona
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