What is the difference between a cupcake and a fairy cake? Or a tea cake for that matter? Actually, I think tea cakes are actually cookies (huh?) so scratch that question. Fairy cakes and cupcakes are actually quite similar (and sometimes used interchangeably), but I’d describe fairy cakes as more refined, and definitely daintier. Cupcakes are most definitely an American invention, while fairy cakes are more European, with a lighter sponge cake and a sugary glaze in place of a heaping pile o’buttercream.
This is one case where the individual elements may fall flat, but together they sing; the whole really is better than the individual parts. The cakes on their own could be described as uninspired, lacking a crucial sweetness that you expect in a dessert. But when topped with a thick layer of sweet, almond-scented fondant, they come into their own, where a sweeter cake would simply be too sugary.
In this case, the fairy cakes are basically just a vehicle for something I’ve been wanting to do since last summer: candied borage flowers. Unfortunately, last year my one borage plant didn’t produce much in the way of flowers (gangly thing could barely support itself), but this summer I’ve got a whole pot full of them. A few weeks ago they started to bloom and haven’t stopped since.
The ephemeral flowers emerge a bright orchid hue in the early morning, and within hours will transform into the rich periwinkle hue they are known for. But wait too long and the flowers will have faded and shriveled, so it took me a few days to harvest enough flowers for an entire batch of cupcakes. I’d go out each morning after the flowers had turned blue and carefully snip off the periwinkle-colored blossoms. They were then candied and set out to dry. The next day, same thing with another handful or two of flowers. Depending on how many plants you have you may be able to do it all in one day.
The candying process is quite simple, just a thin brushing of egg white (I used a pasteurized carton egg white) and a sprinkle of granulated sugar (or superfine sugar, if you have it). It helps to have a bit of a stem to hold on to while you work, so keep that in mind when harvesting your flowers.
When the flowers dry, they will darken and shrivel slightly, but if you’ve been diligent about giving them a nice even coat of egg and sugar, will retain much of the brilliant blue hue even after a few days. While I used borage, this same technique can be used for other edible flowers such as violets and pansies. I tried to candy a few purslane flowers but the petals were tissue thin and unable to support the weight of the egg white, let alone the sugar. You could certainly also use sugar or buttercream flowers if foraging for edible flowers isn’t your thing.
I’d never worked with poured fondant before, and it reminded me a lot of royal icing in terms of consistency. You may need to experiment a bit to find what works best for you. It took me a half a dozen cupcakes before I had the right technique and consistency for a perfectly smooth top. If at any point the fondant starts to set up too much, simply microwave it for 15 seconds or so and it’ll soften again into a smooth, pourable icing.
Total Time: 2 1/2 hours
