Catty and Tansy

My cat Catty loves to "play" with Tansy. She watches Tansy and sometimes puts her paw through the bars of the x-pen. I don't know how they will eventually get along (once Tansy is spayed), but I'm glad there is a cage between them!

Although, Tansy doesn't really seem to be too bothered by Catty.

Persian Love Cake

While searching for rose water recipes, I stumbled upon recipes for Persian Love Cake. There seem to be many different people making the same recipe. The same strange recipe. It looked like a lot of people were using this recipe from Epicurious via Bon Appetit. I was confused by some of the directions in the recipe, so I took it to the best cake expert I know - my Mom.

She pointed out quite a few flaws in the recipe, re-worked the recipe and baked the cake for me.

Awesome!

The Epicurious recipe irritates me. It sounds like it was written by someone who tasted this cake and then decided to make up a recipe for it.

~

This is NOT a copy and paste recipe from Epicurious/Bon Appetit. This is a totally NEW recipe.

Persian Love Cake

Candied Rose Petals:

2 large egg whites

1/2 cup sugar

petals from 1 rose

Cake:

2 1/4 cup cake flour

1 cup superfine sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup oil

1 tsp grated lemon or orange peel

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

Frosting:

2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided

pinch of saffron (I would skip this next time)

1 1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp rose water

To make the cake: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease 2 8 inch pans, line pan bottoms with parchment paper. In one bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Mix remaining wet ingredients in another bowl. Add one cup of the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir for 1 1/2 mins. Add remaining wet ingredient mixture and blend together. Pour batter into the 2 prepared pans. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean. About 20 mins.

Allow cakes to cool completely.

Frosting: If you are using the saffron - take half of the cream and heat in a small pan until it simmers. Add saffron, stir and let cool.

Candied Rose Petals: Whisk 2 egg whites in a small bowl. Separate the petals from one rose and dip them in the egg whites. Just wet the rose petals, so the sugar will stick to them. Don't leave lumps of whipped egg white, like we did, that was one of the mistakes in the original recipe.

The egg whites shouldn't be stiff - like they are in this picture.

Allow the petals to dry overnight.

For the frosting: Whip the remaining cream. Strain the saffron infused cream and add to the whipped cream. Continue to whip until thickened, then add sugar. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Cut the cakes in half, so you have 4 layers.

Frost cake.

Frost sides.

Decorate with rose petals and fresh roses.

This cake would make a beautiful wedding cake.
However, it's not a pure white cake, because of the saffron.

Skip the saffron.

It tastes weird.

Without the saffron it will be a pure white cake.

Happy Hatch Day!

I am such a bad chicken mommy!

August 1st was the 2 year anniversary of my hens hatching.

It's hard to believe it all started 2 short years ago.....

In this last year there have been many changes: Pippa found a new home, Lavender hatched out 4 chicks and Honey died.

What started out as the flock of five has expanded to a flock of eight and then to a tiny flock of four.

With any other chicks that I add to the flock, I will never feel the same trepidation and excitement that I felt that first night when I went to pick up their tiny cardboard box at the post office.

It was petrifying! It was so easy to order them online, but then to have 5 little lives that depend on you for everything!?!

That was terrifying.

I thought I was prepared, but I had no idea what it would be like to have chickens.

I thought they would be pets, but I didn't know I would love them.

Who loves a chicken?

I do!!

~

~

~

P.S. Miss you still Pippa and Honey.

Star of the Day

Today's Star of the Day: Zelandia aka Zela

Zela is an Australorp.

Her breed was developed in Australia from Orpington stock in the 1920's.

She has the Orpington's sweet, loving nature and amazing green/black plumage.

An Australorp set a world record by laying 364 eggs in 365 days without added winter lighting.

Zela very regularly (maybe not every day) lays a large sized brown tinted egg.

She loves to be held and cuddled.
Zela and Honey fight to be the first to sit on my lap.
Zela usually wins.....she is the flock mistress after all!