Victorian Cake with Pink Geraniums

Ingredients:

Cake with pink geraniums

• 16-18 rose geranium leaves, rinsed and dried
• 220 g butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 3 cups of premium flour, plus extra for dusting the pan
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 and 3/4 cups sugar
• Protein of 6 large eggs

Pink icing

• 4 leaves of rose geranium, rinsed and dried
• 1.5 cups of sugar
• Protein of 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• A pinch of salt
• 5 drops of red food coloring

Preparation:

1. Flavoring butter for cakesCrush 6 rose geranium leaves to release the oils. Wrap the butter in the leaves. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
2. Flavoring sugar for icingCrush 4 rose geranium leaves and place them in 1.5 cups of sugar in an airtight container. Leave overnight at room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease and flour a 22x32cm loaf pan.
4. Bake the cakeCrush the remaining 10-12 rose geranium leaves and arrange them in the bottom of the pan. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, 3/4 cup water, and vanilla. Unwrap the butter and remove the leaves.
5. In a large bowl, beat the butter with 1 3/4 cups sugar with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the egg whites, two at a time. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the milk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.
6. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until golden brown, 30-35 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, turn it out onto a wire rack, and remove the leaves. Frost the cake with pink icing.
   
   

   Pink icing

   
   Remove the leaves from the sugar. Combine the sugar, egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, and 1/3 cup cold water in a large heatproof bowl and beat with an electric mixer for 1 minute. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Beat the mixture until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. Remove the bowl from the double boiler, add the food coloring, and beat until a paste forms, about 2 minutes.