Rosey Outlook Coffee Cake

 

 

“Rosey Outlook” Coffee Cake Recipe:    9×9” pan              oven: 350F          bake: 30 min/toothpick test

1 1/3 cups flour
2/3  cup sugar (brown sugar, honey, etc, to taste)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 cup milk*
1/4 cup butter, soft*
2 eggs*
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup shredded rose petals, rose geranium blossoms & leaves, pineapple sage blossoms, and slivers of lemon verbena
Save a pinch of shredded leaves, flowers, and 5-12 small geranium leaves for lining pan and pressing into top of batter.
Separate leaves, etc and process/scissor cut to add to dry matter and top the cake with…grease baking pan; (glass is my top choice), press into pan some petals, leaves and ribbons of your floral materials…in medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder.  Add flower/leaves and use hand mixer on low speed to combine with flour, etc.  ( If using a wet sweetener like honey, add to wet section of recipe.) In another bowl, combine milk, butter, egg, vanilla, *making sure to use at room temperature as butter will “coagulate” with cold milk, etc.  Beat wet mixture on medium until well blended. Pour wet mix into dry mix and beat with mixer on medium for 1 minute or until well blended.  Pour mixed batter in greased pan, on top of your selected leaves and flowers.  Finish batter with remaining leaves and flowers, using a toothpick if necessary to pin down the garnishing touches to the batter (if left standing or curled above, will get crispy and loose more color).
Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.
Invert out of pan after cooling 10-15 minutes; bottom of pan will still be warm..
Cool completely before cutting; can be served as finger tea cakes, cut into squares and fitted on to rose geranium leaves as doilies.  Scattered rose petals add a nice touch and help signal floral nature of cake.