Elderflower Strawberry & Rose Cordial

After making the Elderflower Cordial in my last post, I decided to use it to make a nice cool refreshing drink. I really enjoy making cordials, ice teas and mocktails over Summer and this one is no exception. 

I used the second Elderflower Cordial recipe from my last post to make this, however you could also use bought elderflower cordial. I wouldn’t use the first Elderflower and Lemon Cordial recipe from my last post for this one, as the lemon flavour would be too dominant. 

This recipe is also easily doubled if you have a crowd, and leftovers can be used to make ice blocks too. 

Elderflower Strawberry & Rose Cordial

Ingredients: 

1L cloudy apple juice

125ml elderflower cordial

1.5 tbsp rosewater 

2 handfuls frozen strawberries 

fresh elderflowers to decorate, optional 

Method: 

In a jug with at least 2L capacity, stir together the apple juice, elderflower cordial, rosewater and frozen strawberries. Top up the jug with chilled water (and ice if desired). Sprinkle a few fresh elderflowers over the top, or save them to decorate each glass. 

Once the strawberries begin to thaw the cordial will turn a pink colour. Store in the fridge, will keep for a 5-7 days.

For more recipes showcasing the best of rose, check out my ebook Baking with Rose by clicking the link below!

How to Make Elderflower Cordial

I have always been a fan of floral flavours, and elderflower is no exception. I have bought a couple of different brands of the pre made cordial, but had never had the opportunity to make it myself. Every Summer I would see those lucky enough to have access to elderflowers make batches of cordial, even use it to infuse alcohol. I even found somewhere online that sold small elderflower plants, though that idea was quickly vetoed due to the vigorous nature of the elderflower plant, and our genuine lack of space for new plants in the garden. 

This Summer however, I finally had access to some fresh elderflower - via the edible flower online store Petite Ingredient. About ten days ago, I received an email from them saying elderflowers were not only in season, but on sale too. At $9.95 a punnet, they were still pricey considering I would definitely need more than one punnet. I decided to just do it and buy some regardless. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to actually get my hands on some fresh elderflowers and I was curious to see how the whole ordering fresh flowers online worked in practice.

About a week later the elderflowers arrived. I had been eagerly awaiting their arrival and it was recommended that they go straight in the fridge once delivered. I had even briefed my Dad that they may be coming on a day I was at work, and said if they did to please put the whole thing in the fridge. Funnily enough they didn’t arrive that day, however an order from The Essential Ingredient did, so that ended up in the fridge instead! A few days later another order from The Royal Nut Company arrived (yes I have been shopping online a fair bit lately!), and yes that ended up in the fridge too. I think any delivery that looks like it is food related may end up in the fridge if I’m not home from now on!! 

When my Petite Ingredient order did arrive I set about making my first batch of elderflower cordial, which included lemon zest and an infusion time of about 36 hours. If you go with this method (see below recipe one), and live in humid conditions, definitely allow the elderflowers to infuse in the fridge. This method gave a super lemony fragrance and flavour, however I was looking for a more pure elderflower taste. 

The second batch (see below recipe two) only called for elderflowers and water to to be infused overnight. Again I did this in the fridge. You can see the difference in colour both recipes produced and I have to say the second batch was my favourite. I have used this recipe to create another elderflower drink in the next blog post. 

I have included both recipes here, however I would recommend the second one. Both produce between 600-700ml of cordial which can be stored in a sterilised glass jar in the fridge for about a month. 

Elderflower and Lemon Cordial (Recipe One)

Recipe One: Elderflower & Lemon Cordial

Ingredients: 

peeled zest of 2 lemons + 125ml lemon juice (approx. 3-4 lemons)

100g elderflower heads

500ml boiling water

325g caster sugar

Method: 

In a large bowl place the elderflowers and lemon zest and cover with the water. Ensure the elderflowers are submerged in the water. Allow to cool at room temperature. Once cooled, cover and place in the fridge (or other cool spot) for at least 36 hours. 

Once infused strain the mixture into a medium saucepan, pressing out as much of the liquid from the flowers as possible. The elderflowers and lemon zest can now be thrown out. 

Add the sugar and lemon juice to the liquid and heat on high heat for about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once the liquid begins to simmer, remove from the heat and allow to cool before transferring to a sterilised bottle. Will keep in the fridge for about a month.

Elderflower Cordial (Recipe Two)

Recipe Two: Elderflower Cordial 

Ingredients: 

70g elderflower heads

750ml water 

75g caster sugar 

Method: 

Pick off all the elderflowers from their stems and add to a medium sized bowl. Pour over the water, cover and place in the fridge to infuse overnight. 

The next day, remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature for a couple of hours.

Strain the liquid into a medium saucepan, pressing out as much of the liquid from the flowers as possible. The flowers can now be thrown out. Add the sugar to the liquid and allow to gently simmer on medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and cook for a further 10 minutes, until the colour of the cordial has turned golden and it has thickened a little. 

Allow to cool, then transfer to a sterilised bottle, or use to make this Elderflower, Strawberry & Rose Cordial. Will keep in the fridge for about a month. 

Elderflower Cordial (Recipe Two)

L: Elderflower and Lemon Cordial (Recipe One) R: Elderflower Cordial (Recipe Two)

References: ‘The Modern Cook’s Year’ by Anna Jones (4th Estate, 2017), p.221; ‘Local is Lovely’ by Sophie Hansen (Hachette Australia, 2014), p.71. 

Ginger Snap Iced Tea

This iced tea is based on one served at the Sydney baking institution, Flour & Stone. Earlier in the year a friend and I spent the day in the city, wandering around the shops and stopping in at Flour & Stone for lunch. Lunch was delicious and we also ordered a carafe of their Ginger Snap Iced Tea to share. It was so nice, it immediately had me wondering how I could recreate it at home. 

The ginger snap element comes from Rabbit Hole Tea’s Ginger Snap tea which is  caffeine free. The Rabbit Hole Tea bar in Barangaroo also serves a great iced version of this tea - the Ginger Snap Iced Latte. This is my go to when I visit Rabbit Hole, and if you make extra concentrate of the tea you can keep it in the fridge and pour over milk and ice to make one at home. 

Iced teas like this one are extremely welcome at this time of year, especially with this heat wave we are experiencing here in Sydney at the moment. I also think it would make a nice caffeine free and alcohol free drink for New Years celebrations and Summer get togethers too. I often like to have a jug of this in the fridge and take some to work in one of those metal tea flasks that keep drinks hot or cold for hours, so I can enjoy a nice cold yet tasty drink while I’m at my desk.

Ginger Snap Tea by The Rabbit Hole Organic Tea Bar

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Ginger Snap Iced Tea

Ingredients: 

1L cloudy apple juice

5 tsp ginger tea (I used Ginger Snap from Rabbit Hole Tea)

pulp of two passionfruit 

a few springs of fresh mint 

Method: 

In a large jug (at least 2 L capacity), brew the tea in about 500ml of warm water. Leave for at least an hour (or longer if you want a stronger taste). Strain the leaves from the tea and allow to cool.

Once cooled, mix in the cloudy apple juice, passionfruit pulp and most of the mint leaves. Top up with chilled water and ice. 

Serve each glass with extra ice and an extra mint leaf or two. 

It will keep in the fridge for a few days, and the flavour develops amazingly over the first day, so if you have time make it the day before you wish to serve it. 

A Christmas Gift Guide for Foodies

Heavily inspired by Betty Magazine’s lust worthy gift guide, and after much deliberation over what I will be buying people for Christmas, I thought I would put together a Christmas Gift Guide for the foodies in your life (or for yourself of course!). 

These are a selection of my favourite cookbooks I love to give as gifts and one’s that are on my wish list this year!

I have also included a selection of food or food related gifts from Australian based small business that I love, to give you some extra inspiration for the festive season.

Each picture has click through link, so if you want more information about any of the books or products, click their picture.

NB: If buying online from these great small businesses, please note their Christmas delivery cut off dates so you aren’t disappointed. 

Farmer - The Cookbook

WILD Adventure Cookbook - by Sarah Glover

Ottolenghi Simple - by Yotam Ottolenghi

Now & Again - by Julia Turshen

A Table in Venice - by Skye McAlpine

Greatest Hits - Katherine Sabbath

1. Farmer - The Cookbook, starting at $40. This book is a charity project supporting Rural Aid for farmers affected by the drought. The book is due to be released in February 2019, however there is a great Christmas gift option for $50, where you get a Gift Voucher mailed to you to give to the recipient for Christmas, and the book itself will get mailed to them come February next year. For more information check out their Chuffed fundraising page.

2. WILD Adventure Cookbook by Sarah Glover, $69.95. This book started as a Kickstarter project between Sarah Glover and photographer Luisa Brimble, and since then gone on to be released in the USA and is also available in bookstores here in Australia (David Jones and Booktopia to name a couple). This is a really different style of cookbook and is filled with beautiful images of food being cooked outdoors.

3. Ottolenghi Simple - by Yotam Ottolenghi, $34.95. I don’t know many who don’t want this book! Yotam Ottlenghi’s recipes are always fantastic and this book has an edge of comfort and simplicity, whilst maintaining his characteristic flavour combinations and interesting ingredients.

4. Now & Again - by Julia Turshen, $40.75. Julia’s recipes and food writing are so enjoyable, and I can’t imagine anyone not getting some good use out of this book. This book creates magic from leftovers in Julia’s trademark friendly and inviting style.

5. A Table in Venice - by Skye McAlpine, $46.25. This book is a dream, visually and in terms of the recipes. The photography and design of the book are stunning and would make a lovely gift for any lover of Italian food.

6. Greatest Hits - by Katherine Sabbath, $125. This book is like nothing else you’ve seen before! A pop-up cookbook filled with Katherine’s fun and colourful creations would be the perfect gift for any keen baker.

Rocky Road Bon Bon -Sweetness by Adora

Toasty Block-O-Choc - Bakedown Cakery

Sun Dried Smyrna Quince - Singing Magpie Produce

Real White Drinking Chocolate - Grounded Pleasures

Cornersmith Gift Voucher

Crumpet Rings - The Lost & Found Department

1. Rocky Road Bon Bon from Sweetness by Adora Chocolates, $12. These are the best rocky road you can get. Coming in dark, milk and white chocolate each bar contains handmade SweetMallows (Sweetness by Adora’s handmade marshmallows) along with their handmade pâte de fruit.

2. Toasty Block O Choc from Bakedown Cakery, $12. This chocolate bar is unlike any other - it’s caramelised white chocolate! Much more addictive than it’s regular white chocolate sibling, this bar is well worth a try. But get in quick as Bakedown are changing their chocolate offering in 2019 and Toasty will be no more! All Bakedown chocolate bars come in beautifully designed packaging so they make the perfect gift.

3. Sun Dried Smyrna Quince from Singing Magpie Produce, $33. You've probably heard me go on about this dried fruit before, but they are just so good! Sun dried in Monash, South Australia these quinces come from trees planted over 100 years ago, and have won many a food award, and for good reason!

4. Real White Drinking Chocolate from Grounded Pleasures, $12.90. I love this white drinking chocolate! White drinking chocolate can be very hard to find, but Grounded Pleasures has you covered. The chocolate is beautiful and creamy, yet not too rich and is great for a warming winter drink. It can also be used in baking and for iced drinks too. Grounded Pleasures also make a variety of other drinking chocolates which are well worth checking out.

5. Cornersmith Gift Voucher from Cornersmith, from $50. Who wouldn’t want to do a cooking class at Cornersmith? From bread making to pickling and preserving Cornersmith offers a wide range of classes during the year which are super enjoyable and informative.

6. Crumpet Rings from The Lost and Found Department, $2.50 each. The Lost and Found Department sells a range of baking ware handmade in Tasmania, and one of these products are these crumpet rings. Used to cook crumpets on the stove, these rings are a rare gem as they are otherwise extremely hard to come by! The are a great little present for any keen baker.

Toasty Bloc-O-Choc by Bakedown Cakery (stars are Christmas Limited Edition Toasty Caramel & Praline by Bakedown Cakery)

Greatest Hits The Pop Edition by Katherine Sabbath

Stained Glass Window Christmas Fruit Cake

I first tried a slice of this cake when a former colleague brought some into to work around Christmas last year. Her Mum, a keen baker and CWA member had made it.The cake was cut thinly, so the glacé fruit and the nuts were really obvious and it was clear why the cake was called a Stained Glass Window Cake! I was hesitant at first to try some as I never like Christmas style fruit cakes, but this one has definitely become an exception. 

I asked my friend what the cake was called and she text her Mum to check. Her Mum came back saying it was called a Stained Glass Window Cake (sometimes known as an American Fruit Cake or Bishops Cake). My colleague also told me how in the past her Mum would make the trip to David Jones Food Hall in the city to get all the glacé fruit. I quickly wrote all that down on a post it note and took it home so I would remember all the details. 

Stained Glass Window Christmas Fruit Cake

Lighter in colour and flavour than a regular Christmas fruit cake, this style of cake is heavy on glacé fruit rather than alcohol soaked dried fruit, which gives the cake a distinctly different flavour and look.

Since the flavour of the alcohols used in fruit cakes is what I really don’t like, I was pleased when I tasted the cake that alcohol wasn’t evident at all. Since having looked at recipes for this type of cake, most call for about 1tbsp of some kind of alcohol (significantly less than a traditional fruit cake!), and some recipes suggested orange juice could be used as a substitute. 

Another reason I love this cake is because I have been a fan of glacé fruit for a long time, having grown up eating glacé cherries a lot as a child. My Grandma used them to decorate her Christmas shortbread, and I would always sneak a couple from the open packet in the fridge (much to Grandma’s dismay I think!). 

Stained Glass Window Christmas Fruit Cake

I set about finding my glacé fruit for this cake the same as my colleague’s Mum used to. I went to the David Jones Food Hall after work and searched for some. I finally found a very small selection in the deli area where the cheeses etc are sold. There were red glacé cherries and pineapple sold by weight and a packet of mixed glacé fruit. I got the mixed packet, and a few extra slices of pineapple. I have a feeling the selection may have been a bit better in the past when my colleague’s Mum used to go!

I then bought some more at The Source Bulk Foods, who have a good selection of glacé fruits, however not a large quantity of each (not great if you are making something big, but good for this recipe as you only need a few bits of each fruit). I also went to Harris Farm Markets who have a great selection of glacé fruits this time of year. 

What kind of Christmas fruit cake do you prefer? Or are you a fan of them at all? Let me know in the comments! 

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Stained Glass Window Christmas Fruit Cake

Ingredients: 

115g glacé pineapple, roughly chopped

125g glacé apricot and/or peach, roughly chopped

250g glacé pear and/or fig, roughly chopped

110g whole red and green glacé cherries

110g roughly chopped pitted dates and/or dried quince (I used dried quince from Singing Magpie Produce)

75g macadamias

85g whole blanched almonds

85g brazil nuts

110g dark brown sugar 

2 eggs

zest of one lemon

1tbsp fresh lemon juice

100g butter, melted and cooled

1tsp cinnamon

50g plain flour 

35g self-raising flour 

Ingredients for the Topping: 

75g mixed glacé fruit, roughly chopped (I used pineapple, peach & pear)

55g whole red glacé cherries

55g whole green glacé cherries

40g brazil nuts

35g macadamias 

Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius/130 degrees Celsius fan-forced. Grease and line a 20cm round ring pan allowing the baking paper to extend a few centimetres above the tin (preferably one with a flat base, not a bundt tin).

Mix together the glacé fruit and the nuts in a large bowl. 

In a small bowl whisk together the flours and the cinnamon. 

Then in a small/medium bowl, beat the eggs and the sugar with electric beaters (or in a stand mixer) until well combined. Add the lemon juice, melted butter and flour mixture and beat until just combined. 

Gently stir the egg mixture into the fruit and nuts. Spoon into the prepared pan, pressing the mixture into the tin. Press down so the top is level. Then press in all the topping ingredients into the top of the cake, ensuring they aren’t sitting loose. 

Loosely cover the cake with foil, and bake for 1 hour. 

After the hour, remove the foil, and bake for a further 45 minutes. If using a fan forced oven and the cake is not cooked through after 45 minutes, turn the temperature up to 150 degrees Celsius and continue to cook for a further 15 minutes. 

Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and allow to sit in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the tin and allowing to cool on a wire rack. Keep in mind the top side of the cake when it is in the tin, will remain the top side of the cake once removed from the tin. 

The cake slices best when completely cooled (even better when it comes straight from the fridge). Store in the fridge (wrapped in plastic wrap inside an airtight container) if conditions are humid. 

Reference: ‘Christmas Food & Craft’ The Australia Women’s Weekly (ACP Books, 2006), p. 95. 

Pistachio Raspberry & Rose Cake

Pistachio, raspberry and rose are three flavours that are made for each other in my opinion. They go so well together and the colours of each look so pretty and appealing too.

I used fresh raspberries for this cake, however if you are using frozen, only take them out of the freezer just before you want to use them so they don’t bleed into the cake batter too much. 

You can buy freeze dried raspberries from a few places now - I have bought them online from Fresh As (a New Zealand company), and Bakedown Cakery often sells them in their St Leonards store as well. I have also bought them from About Life in the past too. Alternatively, freeze dried strawberries are a little easier to come by, so they would be a good alternative to use. Otherwise dried edible rose petals would be a good option for the decoration. 

Also - how gorgeous are the white peonies in these photos?! Every year when peonies are in season I can’t help but buy some. I think they are some of the most beautiful flowers, and I have found if you buy them before the flower has opened you can get a good week or more out of them. Which is great, as they aren’t exactly the cheapest of flowers to buy! But their beauty is certainly worth it, particularly if like me, you don’t buy flowers all that often.

Happy Baking! xoxo

Pistachio Raspberry & Rose Cake

Ingredients: 

175g margarine or softened unsalted butter

175g light brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp rosewater

125g + 1 tbsp pistachios

175g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

250g fresh raspberries

Ingredients for the Icing:

200g icing sugar, confectioners

1.5-2 tbsp rosewater

1 tsp freeze dried raspberries, lightly crushed

Method: 

Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius and grease and line a 22-23cm springform cake tin.

Using a food processor, grind the all pistachios into a fine crumb/meal (the same consistency as almond meal). Don’t over process or you may end up with pistachio nut butter, rather than pistachio meal. Remove 1 tbsp of the ground pistachios and set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer add the margarine and sugar. Beat using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs separately, beating well after each. Add the rosewater and the ground pistachios and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour and baking powder, then gently fold into the main cake batter. 

Transfer the cake batter into the tin and smooth the top. Push each raspberry into the top of the cake so that cake is evenly covered with raspberries. Smooth the top if possible. 

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the cake. 

Leave the cake to cool before removing from the tin. 

Once the cake has cooled make the icing by whisking the icing sugar and 1 tbsp of the rosewater together. Gradually add more rosewater if the mixture is to dry, and more icing sugar if the icing is too runny. Ice the cake with the icing, then sprinkle over the 1 tbsp of crushed pistachios and the freeze dried raspberries to decorate. 

Pistachio Raspberry & Rose Cake

Reference: The Violet Bakery Cookbook’ by Claire Ptak (Ten Speed Press, 2015), p.137.

Pistachio Raspberry & Rose Cake with White Peonies

For more recipes showcasing the best of rose, check out my eBook Baking with Rose by clicking the link below!