The Professional Cinderella

I love baking; it’s a wonderful feeling to be able to watch people enjoy something that you have made from scratch. I’ve decided to feature one ingredient each month, and I’ll share my favourite recipes with you right here. This month I’ve chosen rose: when used properly it is just the most delicate floral taste. I found using pure rosewater was far more pleasant that rosewater essence. All three of these recipes are delicious, but the Madeleines are something very special.

Pistachio and Rose Melting Moments

Recipe by Tilly Pamment- Makes 20 filled biscuits

250g unsalted butter, softened

120g icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

225g plain flour

100g pistachios, ground

75g cornflour

1/4 tsp salt

125g unsalted butter, softened

240g icing sugar

1-2 tsp rosewater

A few drops of pink food colouring

1. Preheat oven to 150C and line two baking sheets with baking paper.
2. Place butter, icing sugar and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat until light.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, pistachios, cornflour and salt, whisking to combine. Add dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture and stir gently to form a soft dough. Set aside for 30mins to rest. This makes the dough easier to roll.
4. Use your hands to roll generous teaspoonfuls into balls and place on baking try, leaving a gap of 4cm between biscuits. Use the back of a fork dipped in flour to flatten biscuits slightly. Bake for 12-14mins, until biscuits are beginning to firm but aren’t coloured. Allow to cool completely before filling.
5. Make rose buttercream by combining butter, icing sugar, rosewater and food colouring in a bowl. Beat until light and fluffy. Sandwich biscuits together with a spoonful of icing. Allow to set. Serve with tea or coffee.

Vanilla Cake with Rose and Raspberry Buttercream

Recipe by Lyndel Miller- Makes 1x 6″ cake

180g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt

125g unsalted butter, softened

220g caster sugar

4 eggs, separated

1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste

125ml milk

175g unsalted butter, softened

270g icing sugar

120g cream cheese, softened

1/2 tsp rosewater

1 cup raspberries, pureed and strained

1. Preheat oven to 170C. Grease and line 2 x 6″ cake tins.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Whisk to combine.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, one at a time, and beat well until combined. Add vanilla and beat until well combined. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour and milk alternately and beat until just combined.
4. Place egg whites in another clean bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. VERY gently fold egg whites into the cake better. You don’t want to over mix at this stage as it’s important to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
5. Pour batter into prepared tins. Bake for 20-25 mins, or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Turn cake out onto a wire rack. Cool completely before icing.
6. Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients together for 3-4 mins until light and fluffy. Level the tops of your cakes. Ice one cake, stack the second cake on top, cover the outside with icing.

Pistachio and Rose Madeleines

Recipe by foodduchess.com- Makes 18 Madeleines

90g plain flour

40g pistchios

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp rosewater

1/4 tsp pistachio or almond extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup melted white chocolate, for dipping

Crushed pistachios and dried rose petals, for decorating

1. Preheat oven to 170C. Prepare 2 madeleine pans by greasing well with cooking spray.
2. Add pistachios and flour to a food processor and pulse until the pistachios are well ground and fine in texture (don’t over process as the pistachios will eventually turn into a paste). Place in a mixing bowl over a food scale, then sift flour mixture into the bowl, discarding any large pistachio pieces left over. Mixture should weigh 120g, if it weighs less. Add more flour until 120g is achieved.
3. Add baking powder and salt to the flour mixture, whisk to combine.
4. Add eggs and sugar to a stand mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Turn stand mixer on high and whip for 8 mins. When done, the batter should look thick, tripled in volume, and ribbon off the whisk. Add vanilla, rosewater and pistachio or almond extract, mix until just combined.
5. Remove bowl from the stand mixer, then add dry ingredients to the bowl, Lightly whisk dry ingredients into the batter until just combined.
6. Delicately fold the melted butter into the batter until well combined, but batter isn’t deflated.
7. Gently scoop the batter into prepared pans, filling each shell until just level with the side of the pan. Place into freezer for 15mins.
8. Remove pans from freezer and bake in over for 12 mins. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
9. Dip the top corner of each madeleine in the melted white chocolate. Sprinkle with crushed nuts and dried rose petals.

Heidi xx