I never did get the recipe for these posted last week. Things got hectic, what with Daring Bakers and then Amada’s kindergarten graduation and then Chris coming in…Today is Marc’s birthday…

This summer is certainly starting off to be a party! I am not sure I have partied this much since the late 70s!

These cookies are crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside. I am not sure how you measure a truly good cookie but for me that is the standard. I think crunchy cookies taste like store bought. I am always trying tofigure out the exact time to take cookies out of the oven to get the right texture and making little notes on my recipes! You don’t want these to get brown.

Anyway. These are an old fashioned treat, made special by rose and vanilla. If you are making them for a shower or a tea just make them smaller and sprinkle with pink sugar crystals. I took them to a birthday party and they disappeared really fast.

If you have some time and/or want to make them extra special take two and sandwich them together with some white chocolate ganache.

If you have never tried rosewater flavoring you are missing our on a wonderful, delicate flavor. It is hard to describe but easy to eat!

If the cookies don’t crackle on their own, you may need to push them down gently while they are still warm.

Rose Crackle Cookies

2 2/3 c flour

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 c butter

2 c sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

1-2 tsp rosewater

Sugar for rolling (you can use rose flavored or vanilla flavored sugar for this if you like)

Cream butter and 2 cups of sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, incorporating thoroughly after each. Add vanilla and rose and beat until smooth.

Stir in the dry ingredients. Beat until well blended. Chill for 2 hours.

Roll into balls, using a tablespoon of dough for each ball. Roll in sugar and place on an ungreased baking sheet (I like to use the silicone baking sheet covers). Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 5 dozen

Image: Marye Audet

Content:Marye Audet for Baking Delights

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A Victorian Rose Poundcake recipe? Me?

Yeah.

I am really all about chocolate when it comes to desserts. I like things to be intense.  When I painted I painted still lifes on very dark backgrounds, very much in the style of the Dutch Masters of the 1600s.  When I listen to music I like it to be fast, and intense.. I dislike small talk..I want to know what people are thinking.  Some people think that I am…intense.  So…yeah…chocolate it my flavor of choice.

There is just nothing girly about me.  At least not that I will admit to or let you see. But..there is something about Victorian style,Victorian teas, Victorian homes…….sigh…

This pound cake fascinated me.  The color, the ingredients, the flavors…there are some changes I plan to make in it  next time.  I will add edible rose petals for color. I will probably add some chopped white chocolate, but all in all this is nice.

Perfect for a tea.  This is a light dessert, sweet without being intensely sweet, and the flavors are very delicate.  I made two loaves, one to eat fresh and one to eat the next day.  I wanted to see if there were any flavor and texture changes.  The texture was unchanged, however the flavor had matured and so I really do suggest that you make this the day before you want to serve it.  I served it with a few macerated strawberries.  I macerated them for an hour in a little sugar and about 1 tbs of rosewater.  It would be equally good with raspberries, a little clotted cream, or lightly sweetened whipped cream.  Think light and delicate with this.

Tea would definitely be better than coffee.  I would suggest a Darjeeling if you are having only one tea.  If you are having more than one I think that the following would be good:

Teavana Cloud 9

Tea Avenue Romantic Time 

Celestial Seasonings Vanilla Rose 

So there are my suggestions for go withs.  This Victorian Rose Poundcake would be a great finish to the Roast Chicken with Herbs de Provence.

The texture is a little drier and lighter than regular pound-cake due to the fact that is it leavened only with egg whites.  Fold carefully so that you don’t deflate them, and of course, be sure not to over beat.

I found that covering the almonds with water and then microwaving worked better than pouring boiling water over them for blanching and removing skins.

Victorian Poundcake 

1/2 c unblanched almonds, whole

1/4 c rose water

1 tsp almond extract

1 c unsalted butter

2 c super fine sugar, or run sugar through the blender

1/2 tsp salt

12 egg whites (about 1 1/2 c), room temp.

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.  Set aside

Preheat oven to 350F.

Put almonds in a microwave safe bowl with water to cover.  Microwave until water comes to a boil and then remove.  Let cool.  When water has cooled take almonds out and slip the skins off.  Allow to dry on a towel.

Put the almonds into a food processor and pulse until the nuts are coarsely chopped. Add the rose water, and almond extract, and continue to pulse until the mixture is pasty but not totally smooth.

Remove 1/3 cup of the egg whites and set aside.

Rinse the mixer bowl and beaters with a little lemon juice. Drain the juice out and add the remaining egg whites. Beat until foamy.  Continue to beat while slowly  adding 1/2 c sugar. Beat to peaks that curl slightly when beaters are removed.

Remove whites from bowl, or use a second beater bowl.

Beat the butter until creamy.  Add the sugar and continue beating until smooth and graininess is gone.  Scrape the bowl and beaters and beat a few more minutes.

Add in almond mixture, reserved egg whites, and salt. beat until thoroughly mixed.

Now add in the flour by hand mixing well.  You can use a mixer but adding by hand will keep the texture more delicate.

Once the flour is incorporated into the butter, start adding the egg whites in.  Fold in 1/3 of the whites to lighten the batter and then fold in the remaining whites carefully.

Spoon the batter into the loaf pans and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes.  Start checking for doneness after an hour.  When done the cakes will have a crack int he top and a toothpick will come out clean.

Let cool for 20 minutes in the pans, then loosen from the pans and turn out to finish cooling.  Wrap and leave at room temp for 24 hours for best flavor.

2 loaves.

The kitchen smells heavenly when these are baking.

All content on this page (c)2008 Marye Audet for Baking Delights, http://bakingdelights.com. Any other use is stealing.  Uncle Guido does not like stealers.

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