When was the last time you had a Tea Party? With cookies, cakes, tea, friends (big or small but not just stuffed animal friends)? I don’t know when I did either. Time to change that. The onset of spring breathes new life into everything and for me my creativity abounds searching for outlets.
I’m not sure what made me quest for a tea party but it became an idea like a carpool, picking up aspects along the road until it arrived at becoming an Edible Flower Springtime Tea Party. As I began to spin through ideas I quickly became overwhelmed wondering where the heck I’d find the time to prepare everything from scratch. I would of course need to have a gluten free tea and then the idea hit me: what about purchasing high quality baked goods and embellishing them to the theme of the party? I could still whip up the details from scratch and linger over the fun crafty-part delivering a beautiful experience in a smidgeon of the time. And so it began!
Many people do not realize there are edible flowers. There is an herb company where I live that actually grows edible varieties and you can find them packaged at the grocery store with the rest of the fresh herbs to not only beautify your food but enhance the flavors. It’s key however that you know which flowers are edible and which are not, as well as have a safe source for them. Perhaps you grow them in your garden and are sure they have not been sprayed with anything inorganic or a pesticide. Or purchasing them from local farmers or reliable sources (grocery stores even carry them in the produce area but do not adapt those from the floral department not knowing whether they have been treated with something inedible).
For my Tea Party I chose some favorites: Johnny-Jump-Ups (violas or mini pansies), lavender buds and rose though I used it in the form of an extract. I decided to sugar the pansies to place on the top of cookies and use the lavender as an edible decoration on a cookie as well. I wove the rose flavor into cupcakes, big and small. The best way to describe the flavor of a rose cupcake would be that they taste how a rose smells; soft, delicate and rose-flavored. Instructions for how to sugar pansies and Raspberry-Vanilla double glazed Sugar Cookies with Sugared Pansies will be in the next blog post!
It’s easy to find tea made from flowers and you can make your own using the same guidelines above. I selected Chamomile-Lavender Tea and Hibiscus Tea feeling the flavors would complement the baked goods and loving the lemon yellow and bright pink of the teas.
I mix-and-matched several different pieces of China, old and new, to give the Tea Party and ecclectic feel. I even used pieces from an antique child’s tea set given to my mother that dates back to 1865 within our family.
Regardless of what you choose to make and serve, the surprise of a Tea Party will be exciting and fun to anyone! My party guests were delighted with everything served, and were none the wiser that I had not made everything from scratch (which of course you can as well!).
Edible Flower Springtime Tea Party
Ingredients
Ingredients for Rose Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting:
- 1 box favorite Vanilla Cake mix (I used Lillabee’s Gluten Free cake mix)
- ½ teaspoon Rose Extract
- Red Food coloring (I like India Tree Dyes, all natural, but they can fade when baked)
- 1 pint Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 tablespoons granulated Sugar
Ingredients for Lemon-Honey glazed Shortbread with Lavender Buds:
- 1 dozen (12) Shortbread Cookies (I used Amy’s gluten free Shortbread)
- 1 cup Confectioner’s Sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Zest
- 1 tablespoon Honey
- Small lavender buds; 1 for each cookie
Instructions
- NOTE: The cupcakes may be made the day prior (keep in a sealed, refrigerated container). If using this Whipped Cream frosting it is best to frost them right before serving them. Though the frosting will hold up and they can be refrigerated, they look best when freshly frosted.
Insructions for Rose Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting:
- Prepare vanilla cake mix adding the rose extract and food coloring to make cupcakes pink (if desired) to the mix. Line muffin pan with decorative cupcake papers (I double line them so if any oils soak into the liner, the outer liner is still pristine in appearance). Fill as directed and bake as directed. Remove and cool on a cooling rack.
- In a free standing mixer all heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla. Beat slowly until cream thickens and then on high speed until whipped cream thickens past the ‘stiff peak’ phase to be a lightly spreadable frosting. Note: monitor the cream closely because it can turn to a butter thickness quickly.
- When rose cupcakes are full cooled pipe or spread frosting on cupcakes. Keep chilled until serving.
- the refrigerator. Ideally they would be made the morning of an afternoon tea party._
Instructions for Lemon-Honey Glazed Shortbread:
- Gently rinse and pat dry all the lavender buds.
- In the bowl of a freestanding mixer (handheld mixer is ok too) combine sugar, 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, lemon zest and honey. Beat until fully combines and thick. Dip a spoon into the glaze and allow it to drip back into the bowl as a test for thickness. The thicker the glaze the more heavily coated the cookie will be. If it’s spreadable thickness, add more lemon juice a teaspoon at a time until thickness desired.
- Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet. Place cookies on the rack (this allows excess glaze to drip into the baking sheet, keeping the cookie from sitting in glaze and not create a mess in your kitchen).
- Slowly pour the glaze over each cookie to cover the full top.
- Place a lavender bud in the glaze. Allow glaze to fully harden before serving (30 minutes approximately). If not serving immediately, keep in a sealed container, chilled until serving.
Disclaimer: (Ebible Flowers) The author has thoroughly researched all the aforementioned edible flowers. However, individuals consuming the flowers, plants, or derivatives listed here do so entirely at their own risk. The author cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction to the flowers.
cupcake with filling says
I know that they said some of flowers are edible for instance Lavender but I never try it myself. but the idea of edible flowers on your cupcake is great. it added more color on certain occasion.
Lori Lynn says
I just wrote a piece on edible flowers for our local paper. Happy to see your post! Found it on Foodie. Love the shortbread with lavender!
LL
Toni Dash says
Hi Lori Lynn! So glad you liked the tea. You would appreciate the use of edible flowers having written your piece about them I’m sure. Check back tomorrow and the recipe for sugaring the pansies and fresh raspberry glazed sugar cookies will be up!
Thanks too for letting me know where you found ‘me’. I have not hopped on Foodie since they redid it so it was a nudge to go look. Looks fun!
Jennifer-The Adventuresome Kitchen says
What a lovely idea! My girls are always begging for tea parties. We have the luxury of violets in the grass this time of year, and since we don’t spray, we eat them regularly! I love your idea of using the premade cookies and them ‘blinging’ them up. This is sure to add a spark of sunshine to our slew of never-ending grey days!
Toni Dash says
I’m writing this with 12 inches of snow in the last 24 hours so I get the gray day dilemma AND this tea party certainly does lift the pallor of all that!
The baked good enhancement scheme is definitely the way to go! More time to focus on the fun part of it all and time to make several treats. I definitely recommend it. We too have violets in our garden but it’s a bit early (and now everything is buried in snow). They would be beautiful too.
Caroline Taylor says
Hi Toni, sorry me again! If you pop over to my blog I have awarded you the Best Moment Award! http://allthatimeating.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/best-moment-award.html
Toni Dash says
You are the sweetest! Going to pop over now….
Caroline Taylor says
Toni this is the prettiest thing ever! I am booking a flight over!
Toni Dash says
Would that no be the most fun ever?!
Belinda @themoonblushbaker says
What wonder themed party! I am book marking this for inspiration for my sisiter’s baby shower. Thank you for sharing
Toni Dash says
My heart skipped a beat when I read your comment Belinda; what a perfect idea! I will say when I pulled it all together it had such a great feel. The tea party guests were completely deighted to come into the room and see all the treats and different colored teas and tea pots. It was really fun and unique. It would be perfect for a baby shower! Tomorrow I’ll be posting how to sugar pansies and the recipe for the Raspberry-Vanilla glazed Sugar cookies with the sugared pansies on top. Please come back and add them to your bookmark. I think visually they were my favorite and the glaze is made with fresh raspberries so the flavor is fantastic.
Rhonda says
Be still my heart, I love edible flowers and what a beautiful tea party theme!
Toni Dash says
Thank you Rhonda! It was such fun to do. We know have had about 12 inches of snow in the last 24 hours so I look longingly at the photos myself wondering if the weather really was that spring-like!
Chef Dennis says
what a beautiful presentation Toni! My girls would absolutely love those little cookies. My produce supplier has edible flowers, I’m going to have to add one to my order for tomorrow and make those sweet little cookies!
Its been ages since pooh, tigger, eyore and I had a tea party….sigh
Toni Dash says
Your girls WOULD love edible flowers, I agree. We through them in salads all summer long. I have a friend who said she puts them in a pitcher of water on her dining table in the warm months adding beauty but also fun to drinking water. Tomorrow I’ll have a post about sugaring pansies (the girls would love to do that too) and making the Raspberry-Vanilla glazed cookies to put them on!
Rosie @ Blueberry Kitchen says
This is such a lovely idea, thanks so much for the inspiration!
Toni Dash says
Rosie you are so welcome! I hope you’ll find the time to have a tea party yourself. It was great fun and not too much effort!
Beth says
This looks like so much fun! I need to find a time to have tea with some friends!
Toni Dash says
You know Beth I think that was part of the idea popping to mind for me! What would be a fun thing to pull people together to celebrate spring in an unexpected way! We all are so mired in our own routines; a fun surprise is always welcome.
Robin O says
What a visual and edible delight Toni! How I wish I could have been there with be best stuffed bunny to celebrate your Spring Tea in person, yet your images have made me feel as if I were. I particularly liked the nursery rhyme dishes, brought out the whimsy and light. Thanks for the party 🙂
Toni Dash says
Thanks Robin. Actually everyone participating was stuffed, but fortunately with tea and treats, not polyester batting! It was a fun glimpse of spring.
Connie / Marinating Online says
Great post. Love the lavender cookies. The pictures really convey a spring like atmosphere.
Toni Dash says
Thank you Connie! I loved the lavender cookies too. Just the perfect amount of lavender to compliment the shortbread, lemon and honey flavors.
Happy Valley Chow says
Those looks so beautiful and sound absolutely delicious! Great job 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Toni Dash says
Thank you!