Violet Syrup and a Wedding Cake

It has been a while since I've posted! I was down all last week with an ear infection. Little kids = walking Petri dishes. I remember when I first started working with children and came down with a wicked case of the Pink Eye. Seriously? Pink eye? Good thing I already had chicken pox or I’m sure I’d get that too.

Anyways, all better now. The last week has been very busy baking wise - I baked my first wedding cake! I've also been really adventurous with flavors lately - bacon peanut butter cookies and violet macarons! One downside – I’ve truly frightened away my husband.

His loss, right? Well, the bacon peanut butter cookies were...maybe not so good.

Anyways, here is the stuff that WAS good!


I love flower flavors, and my very favorite is violet (hence the blog name). I get excited when they come up every spring, and the last few years I have been content with just plucking them and tossing them into my mouth (check for bugs!). This year, however, I am upping the ante. This year the goal is violet. flavored. macarons! Because violet essence is difficult to come by in the US, Last week I made the syrup myself.


I have been watching these babies grow and blossom in my backyard for the past three weeks. Oddly it almost broke my heart to harvest them, which was the whole purpose in my careful watching anyway. If I hadn't have watched them I wouldn't have cared, but if I hadn't wanted to eat them, I wouldn't have watched them! Sometimes life is just like that.


If you do try this yourself, make sure the lawns haven't been sprayed or pesticided. That stuff is bad for you.


Lovely violets in the mason jar.


Cover with boiling water, watch lovely blue color seep.


Let sit 24 hours, then sieve out blossoms.


Boil with sugar and lemon. It is DELICIOUS! Next stop! Macarons!


The wedding cake! I regret that I didn't get a final photo - the end result had a red cut out of the Chinese character for happiness on top (one half of the couple was from China). It really looked quite nice, despite its simplicity. And it worked too! They cut it and fed it to each other and no one would have known that little old me had made it. Except that I told everyone, once I was sure it would be a success.


It being my first time, and my patrons being extremely low maintenance, I went with simple. Just a double-layered dutch cocoa cake with vanilla buttercream filling and fondant topping.


It was my first time working with real fondant, and well, there were a few flaws. Thus the ribbons.


Guest blogger! When I was sick Justin made me some pear-stuffed French toast. Awwww! It turned out really, really nice.


In other news: my regrettable hair cut. I thought I would post a photo to prove that my new bangs stand literally straight up when left to themselves. Because people seem to think I am exaggerating. No product, no spray. Just Icy Violet madness sticking straight up off the forehead. Enjoy.

Violet Syrup (adapted from Herban Lifestyle)

1 cup violet blossoms
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 squeeze lemon

Gently wash violet blossoms, place in mason jar. Boil water, then pour over blossoms. Seal jar, let steep 24 hours. Pour liquid into saucepan, add sugar and lemon (it may turn pink when you add the lemon - this is normal). Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Pour into mason jar and store in the refrigerator. You can add a drop or two of blue food coloring if it's too pink for your taste.