Saint Brigid’s Day Cake with Crystallised Primroses and Wood Sorrell

Recipe by: Darina Allen

We love this super delicious cake which we organically created especially for Saint Brigid’s Day, green white and gold – how naff is that... Cooking times refer to the main cake, see recipe for details on primrose preparation.

Saint Brigid’s Day Cake with Crystallised Primroses and Wood Sorrell

SERVES

10

PEOPLE

PREP TIME

30

MINUTES

COOKING TIME

40

MINUTES

Ingredients

  • 175g soft butter

  • 150g caster sugar

  • 3 eggs, preferably free range

  • 175g self-raising flour

  • To Decorate

  • Lemon Glacé Icing (see below)

  • Crystallised Primroses (see recipe)

  • 8 pieces of wood sorrel leaves

  • Lemon Glacé Icing (to ice top and sides of cake)

  • 225g icing sugar

  • finely grated rind of 1 lemon

  • 2-4 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

  • Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the lemon rind and enough lemon juice to make a softish icing.

Method

  1. Take a 20.5cm sandwich tin, buttered and floured. Line the base of the tin with parchment paper.

  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

  3. Put the soft butter, caster sugar, eggs and self-raising flour into the bowl of a food processor. Whizz for a few seconds to amalgamate and turn into the prepared tin – make a dip in the centre so it rises evenly. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes approx. or until golden brown and well risen.

  4. Cool in the tin for a few minutes, remove and cool on a wire rack.

  5. Meanwhile make the icing, once the cake is cool, pour the icing over the cake and spread gently over the sides with a palette knife.

  6. Decorate with the crystallised primroses and wood sorrel leaves.

  7. Serve on a pretty plate.

  8. Crystallised Flowers:

  9. Flowers and leaves crystallized with sugar will keep for months, although they may lose their initial vibrant colour. This is what we call a high-stool job – definitely a labour of love and not something suited to an impatient, Type A personality. The end result is both beautiful and rewarding and many family and staff wedding cakes have been embellished with crystallized flowers over the years.

  10. Flowers and leaves must be edible and are all worth doing.

  11. Smaller flowers are more attractive when crystallized e.g., primroses, violets, apple blossom, violas, rose petals…. We crystallize lots of leaves as well as flowers so one can make attractive arrangements. Use fairly strong textured leaves - e.g., mint, lemon balm, sweet cicely, wild strawberry, salad burnet or marguerite daisy leaves.

  12. The caster sugar must be absolutely dry, one could dry it in a low oven for about 30 minutes approx.

  13. Break up the egg white slightly in a little bowl with a fork. Using a child's paintbrush, paint the egg white very carefully over each petal and into every crevice. Pour the caster sugar over the flower with a teaspoon.

  14. Arrange the crystallized flowers carefully on silicone paper so that they retain a good shape. Leave to dry overnight in a warm, dry place such as close to an Aga, over a radiator or in an airing cupboard. When properly crystallized, these flowers will last for months, even years, provided they are kept dry. We store them in a pottery jar or a tin box with an airtight lid.

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