Winter in Melbourne, despite the cold, is a green time of year. The dry winds of summer that can crisp a lawn in a day are gone. Instead the suburbs and gardens are lush. The wattle is in flower, blooms cascading over fences in a riot of yellow. Flowering gums are heavy with nectar, and violets make their appearance in cool dark corners of gardens. Often where nothing else will grow, the violet will thrive, making a carpet of soft, dark green leaves, and at this time of year dainty purple flowers.
Violets, pansies and violas all have edible blooms. Pansies and violas have varying degrees of dark velvety faces or blotches on the petals – viola being the genus name, as well as the flower. (The African violet is another thing entirely and should not be eaten.) The tender, new leaves of violets can be used in salads, as well as the blooms themselves.
In Melbourne the violets are blooming now, and for this recipe we picked violets from the garden, in the morning, when the blooms were just opened, plump and fresh. The distinctive white and purple bloom of the Australian native violet is also edible, and can be treated in the same way as the purple violets in the recipe given below, but they flower towards the warmer months of the year.
When picking edible flowers for consumption there’s a couple of things to be wary of. Firstly make sure you have properly identified the blooms, and secondly make sure your flowers are pesticide free. Don’t pick from roadsides, instead from your own or a known garden is best. Beware of eating flowers from florists as you don’t know how the flowers have been treated. An exception would be purchasing from an organic flower producer.
The sugared violets retain their delicate scent and the taste is sweet and floral. It is much more subtle than a sugared rose petal, but still distinctive. Atop a cake, as in the recipe below, sugared violets make the most gorgeous edible decorative.
For the violets:
A bunch of violets or pansies home grown and pesticide free
1 egg white
1 tsp of water
1 cup of caster sugar
Whisk the egg white in a small bowl, with the water. Place the caster sugar in a separate bowl. Line a wire rack with baking paper.
With a small brush, brush the petals of your flowers with egg white on both sides. With a spoon, sprinkle the caster sugar over the flower on both sides and set on the baking paper to dry. Continue until you have sugared the desired amount of flowers. Leave to dry in a warm area overnight or until dry.
For the cake:
1 1/2 cups of plain white flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
1 cup whole yoghurt
1/3 cup tepid water
2 tsp vanilla paste
200g unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
Preheat oven to 180C. Grease two loaf pans with butter. “Flour” the tins with a little extra cocoa.
In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl place the yoghurt, water and vanilla and whisk together.
In a stand mixer or hand held electric mixer, place the soft butter and sugar and whisk until very light and creamy. When creamy beat the eggs in one at a time, whisking well after each.
Alternate adding the flour and the yoghurt mixture, mixing well after each, until you have used all of your ingredients. Mix well until smooth.
Place the mixture into your two pans in equal amounts and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 25 -30 mins until a knife comes out clean and the cake springs back to the touch.
Cool the cakes completely. Ice with your favourite frosting or ganache and decorate with your sugared violets and pansies.
For more delicious season’s eating, check out our archive.