Happy Chinese New Year and Happy Birthday to my brother in-law
Bake this cake for my brother-in-law who bought me the blue pea flowers as he wanted a blue pea flowers cake for his birthday; thus, it’s Chinese New Year. We combined the celebration. I bought rose petal edible flowers to add to my savoury dish, but instead I have used them in a cake. Today I change the method of using rose petals.
“Dried blue pea flowers, or Butterfly Pea flowers, from the Clitoria ternatea plant, are popular in Asia for cooking and medicine. They change color when mixed with acidic ingredients and have a light, floral flavor. Used as a natural dye, they are rich in antioxidants and provide benefits like weight loss and stabilizing blood sugar. Traditionally used in Ayurvedic and Asian medicine, they can be found at specialty stores and some supermarkets. However, large quantities may cause nausea, so pregnant women should consult a healthcare professional before use.”
“Rose petals are fragrant, edible petals known for their medicinal and culinary uses, rich in antioxidants, vitamins A, C, and E, and polyphenols. They improve skin health, boost immunity, relieve stress and anxiety, enhance digestion, and have anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Rose tea can help soothe sore throats, act as a mild laxative and diuretic, and purify the body while promoting a healthy complexion.”
I steeped it in hot boiling water the same way as with blue pea flowers, instead of scattering it onto the batter. No marbling, just patches; I added the last bit of pumpkin spice powder. It’s moist, fragrant, healthy, and delicious. I had to stop my family from having more, as I needed to take a picture of the inside. Let’s bake!!!
Ingredients
390 g plain flour
375 g castor sugar
375 g butter, melted
6 large eggs
120 ml double cream
60 ml orange juice, bought
3 Tsp baking powder
1 1/2 Tbs dried blue pea flowers, removed green stems
3 Tbs hot boiling water
1 1/2 Tbs rose petals
5-7 Tbs hot boiling water
4 Tsp pumpkin spice powder
1 Tsp vanilla sugar
2 tiny drops blue food colouring
salt
Garnish
5 strawberries, washed and dried
4 different colours M&M’s, plus extra to serve
2 orange-flavoured cigar biscuits
1 blue and white striped candle, as it’s a birthday cake
a few toothpicks to hold strawberries in place (OPT)
Method
Preheat oven 180 degrees C. Grease and line a 10 inches square sring form pan.
In a small bowl, steep blue pea flowers in 3 Tbs hot boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain into a small cup and discard blue pea flowers. Then set aside to cool.
In another small bowl, steep rose petals in 5-7 Tbs hot boiling water for 5 minutes. Then set aside to cool.
In a deep plate, mix mix well flour, baking powder, vanilla sugar, and salt. You might want to sift the flour, baking powder, vanilla sugar and salt. I didn’t bother to sift them.
In a mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add castor sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Beat in egg one at a time, beating well each addition, until well incorporated.
Fold in flour mixture with a big metal spoon alternate folding with double cream and orange juice. Mix until well combined. Using the big metal spoon; spoon 3-4 spoonful into another metal bowl.
Pour the juice of blue pea flowers into the metal bowl with batter, then add 2 tiny drops of blue food colouring, stir well to get blue colour.
The remaining batter in the mixing bowl, add pumpkin spice, rose petals and juice. Stir well to coat the batter. Now it’s time to spoon it into the prepared baking pan. Start with 1 metal spoon blue pea flowers into prepared pan.
Then use another metal spoon, spoon pumpkin spice, rose petals and juice. Repeat alternate blue pea flowers batter and followed by pumpkin spice, rose petals and juice until both batter finished.
Bake for 60 minutes or until skewer out clean. Switched off oven, leaving cake in oven for 35 minutes with door closed.
Once time up, removed from oven onto wire rack to cool further 20 minutes. Then flip the cake out of pan onto a foiled plate mat. Transfer to square cake container when it has cool completely.
Just before leaving for my sister’s home, garnish the cake with a prick a small toothpick strawberry and prick into the near centre of cake, and place the candle next to it. Then followed by the orange cigar biscuit.
In the centre lined 3 prick with toothpicks strawberries apart in a straight line. Followed by another orange cigar biscuit and another prick with toothpick strawberry. Enjoy with tea, coffee or dessert wine!!!
Note: Do use new batch of dried blue pea flowers for blue colour. I read in one of the recipes can add a few drops of blue food colouring.
You can make marble effects instead of patches. Also, you can garnish with fruits or cream or any decoration you wanted.
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