Wisteria is a well known beautiful flower that often grows across the side of houses and walls. It can also be grown as a tree and if you didn’t know already, be used (in part) to make a very floral jam!
Whilst the majority of the plant is toxic and it should be handled with care, the petals are edible for humans. To make wisteria jam you need to take care painstakingly removing the petals from the plant which can be an arduous task, and is likely why the jam is not often made or found, especially in the UK.
If you are thinking of making the jam, it is best to already know a bit about the wisteria plant and be the owner of one. You need to be extremely careful as previously mentioned as parts of the plant / leaves are extremely dangerous when ingested. This should be made at your own discretion.
For the jam you will need...
- 1 cup wisteria flowers (otherwise known as blossoms)
- 1 and a half cups jam sugar
- 2 cups water
- half a lemon squeezed in
- a dash of pectin
Place all the items into a large pan and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Set to boil and check until the jam is at 105 degrees c or runs off a plate and stops.
Get yourself some recycled jars – clean them and pour in boiled water (put a spoon in the jar to prevent cracking).
So the same with the lids and once the jam is ready, tip out the water and place the jam in the jar using a jam funnel if available.
Finally, put the lid on and wait to set!
I would advise waiting a day before starting the next step, as you need your jam to be cool.
For the fairy cake recipe you will need the following…
- 100g butter
- 100g golden caster sugar
- 2 free range eggs
- 100g Self-raising flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 Lemon zest
- 1 tsp of Poppy seeds
Mix all the items in your mixer or by hand and place into cupcake cases. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes on gas mark 5 (160 fan).
Whilst the cakes are in the oven you can start making the icing that will go inside them and be the wisteria element.
- 3 tsp of wisteria jam (home made)
- 250g white icing sugar
- 80g butter
Whisk all of this together using an electric whisk if available and set to one side.
Next…
When the cupcakes are ready take them out of the oven and leave to cool. When cool you will need to get a knife and cut them around gently until you meet the other side. Once cut use a spoon to pull out the middle. Tidy up the section you have cut out and cut in half, this will form your wings of your fairy cake.
Once all of these have been done, add a spoonful of your wisteria buttercream and stick the wings on (as you can see in the photo). drizzle with some of the jam and shake over some icing sugar for decoration!
Enjoy – and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @hercountryliving so I can see your creations! X
Her Country Living 