just like fruit, vegetables and herbs in my garden, i try never to waste a good home grown edible flower.

so i'm always looking for new ways to preserve my beautiful violas for future use. candying edible flowers or edible flower petals (you can find a long list of edible flowers HERE), not only preserves the flowers, it makes then a beautiful and sugar sweet addition to a dessert. 

candied flowers

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 4-8 hours

total time: 8 hours

ingredients: 1 egg white. 1 cup edible flowers or flower petals, cleaned and dried. 1 cup fine sugar. whisk. paint brush. drying rack. 

start by whisking your egg white until it has some bubbles in it and is a bit lighter. pour your sugar onto a plate.

gently brush the petals of your flowers with a bit of egg white.

place the flower or petal on the sugar platter and sprinkle sugar over the top.

set the flower or petal on the drying rack. repeat until you have finished all your flowers or petals.

allow them to dry on the rack for 4-8 hours. until there is no remaining moisture.

use them as a gorgeous garnish, or store them in an airtight container until you are ready to use. 

xo, a

candied flowers

prep time: 5 minutes

active time: 15 minutes

inactive time: 4-8 hours

total time: 8 hours

ingredients: 1 egg white. 1 cup edible flowers or flower petals, cleaned and dried. 1 cup fine sugar. whisk. paint brush. drying rack. 

start by whisking your egg white until it has some bubbles in it and is a bit lighter. pour your sugar onto a plate. gently brush the petals of your flowers with a bit of egg white. place the flower or petal on the sugar platter and sprinkle sugar over the top. set the flower or petal on the drying rack. repeat until you have finished all your flowers or petals. allow them to dry on the rack for 4-8 hours. until there is no remaining moisture. use them as a gorgeous garnish, or store them in an airtight container until you are ready to use. 

this week i decided that if i could only live with one fruit for the rest of my life, i'm going with blood orange. now, i really hope that doesn't happen since i use a plethora of fruit year round (thank you southern california & globalization). but if it did happen, blood orange would be my best gal. 

unfortunately, they are seasonal and i can only get them for a few months out of the year. but for those few months, i go big on blood orange. and today is no exception. check with your local grocer or produce store and see if you can get your hands on some. they are less tart and less sweet than a regular orange but have amazing orange flavor.  if you can't get your hands on some blood orange (or you don't dream about them at night like me), you could make this light and delicious olive oil cake with regular oranges, grapefruit or any other favorite citrus. OR, you could even skip the citrus if you are looking for a tasty treat thats not too sweet, but still feels very indulgent. 

blood orange olive oil cake + blood orange glaze

serves: 8-10

prep time: 10 minutes

bake time: 30 minutes

cool time :20 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 3 blood oranges (or sub 1 grapefruit or pomelo, 2 larger oranges, 3 lemons or 5 limes) zested and juiced. 7 tbs melted butter + 1 tbs soft butter. .75 cup olive oil. 3 tbs milk at room temperature. 4 eggs at room temperature. 1 cup sugar. 1.75 cups all purpose flour, plus 2 tbs extra for dusting the pan.. 1.5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt. 2 cups powdered sugar. 1 bundt or an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. hand mixer or stand mixer. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. combine the 1.75 cups of flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. then whisk together the olive oil, 7 tbs of melted butter and the milk. set that with the dry ingredients.

then in a bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl with a hand mixer, combine the eggs, zest and 1 cup sugar. start on a medium low speed to combine your ingredients and once combined, turn the mixer up to high and mix until the it turns light yellow in color and is thickened a bit. about 2 to 3 minutes. 

while your beating the sugar and eggs together, butter and flour your baking pan so that the cake will easily slide form the pan after baking. when our batter has thickened, alternate adding your dry and wet ingredients both starting and ending with your dry ingredients.  blend until just combined. 1-2 minutes.

pour your batter into your prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 - 30 minutes depending on the depth of your pan. start checking your cake at about 20 minutes. when a toothpick comes out of the cake clean it is done.

remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. while the cake is cooling, make your glaze. if you make your glaze in advance, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin on the top from developing. it is just the wet sugar drying when it hits the air, so if a skin does form, just recombine and it should be worked right back into your glaze.

to make your glaze, combine the blood orange juice and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whisk well till all the lumps are out. about 2 minutes. if your glaze is a bit too dry, you can add in water 1 tsp at a time till you get a nice consistency.

you want your glaze to ribbon back into the bowl when you pull it up with the whisk. if the glaze is too wet and runny, you can add in some powdered sugar 1 tbs at a time till you get the desired consistency.

when the cake has cooled, turn it out onto a wire rack.drizzle the cake with your glaze.

serve or store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

xo, a

blood orange olive oil cake + blood orange glaze

serves: 8-10

prep time: 10 minutes

bake time: 30 minutes

cool time :20 minutes

total time: 1 hour

ingredients: 3 blood oranges (or sub 1 grapefruit or pomelo, 2 larger oranges, 3 lemons or 5 limes) zested and juiced. 7 tbs melted butter + 1 tbs soft butter. .75 cup olive oil. 3 tbs milk at room temperature. 4 eggs at room temperature. 1 cup sugar. 1.75 cups all purpose flour, plus 2 tbs extra for dusting the pan.. 1.5 tsp baking powder. .5 tsp kosher salt. 2 cups powdered sugar. 1 bundt or an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan. hand mixer or stand mixer. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees f. combine the 1.75 cups of flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside. then whisk together the olive oil, 7 tbs of melted butter and the milk. set that with the dry ingredients. then in a bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl with a hand mixer, combine the eggs, zest and 1 cup sugar. start on a medium low speed to combine your ingredients and once combined, turn the mixer up to high and mix until the it turns light yellow in color and is thickened a bit. about 2 to 3 minutes. while your beating the sugar and eggs together, butter and flour your baking pan so that the cake will easily slide form the pan after baking. when our batter has thickened, alternate adding your dry and wet ingredients both starting and ending with your dry ingredients.  blend until just combined. 1-2 minutes. pour your batter into your prepared baking sheet and bake for 20 - 30 minutes depending on the depth of your pan. start checking your cake at about 20 minutes. when a toothpick comes out of the cake clean it is done. remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool. while the cake is cooling, make your glaze. if you make your glaze in advance, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin on the top from developing. it is just the wet sugar drying when it hits the air, so if a skin does form, just recombine and it should be worked right back into your glaze. to make your glaze, combine the blood orange juice and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and whisk well till all the lumps are out. about 2 minutes. if your glaze is a bit too dry, you can add in water 1 tsp at a time till you get a nice consistency. you want your glaze to ribbon back into the bowl when you pull it up with the whisk. if the glaze is too wet and runny, you can add in some powdered sugar 1 tbs at a time till you get the desired consistency. when the cake has cooled, turn it out onto a wire rack. drizzle the cake with your glaze. serve or store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.