Using these Edible Flowers for Cakes, you can make them look more beautiful while adding a dash taste to enhance the flavor!
Apart from putting icing on cakes to add to their beauty, you can also use Edible Flowers for Cakes to make them look more professional. Choosing the right blooms, you can make a colorful addition to your tasty creations and sell them literally like hot cakes!
Check out our article on edible flowers to flavor your food here
Edible Flowers for Cakes
1. Apple Blossom
Botanical name: Malus domestica
Apple blossom has a citrusy-tart taste that can add a delightful flavor to cakes. It also gives a hint of sourness to sweet apple pies and other desserts.
2. Bachelor Button
Botanical name: Centaurea cyanus
The bachelor button has a subtle sweet to spicy, clove-like flavor. It looks like small pom-poms when garnished on a cake.
3. Begonia
Botanical name: Begonia x tuberhybrida
The flower has an unmistakable light, lemon-like taste with a crisp texture that tastes delicious on cakes. The bright colored petals also look smashing!
4. Borage
Botanical name: Borago officinalis
Borage flower tastes like cucumber. Its dark blue flowers look like mini stars when garnished on light color fondant or buttercream!
5. Carnation
Botanical name: Dianthus caryophyllus
Carnation’s petal has a vaguely sweet flavor, with hints of light bitterness. The flower comes in almost all shades of red and gives an elegant touch to cakes.
6. Dahlia
Botanical name: Dahlia pinnata
Dahlia tastes like a mix of water chestnut and spicy apple with hints of carrot. The plant also produces sweet potato-like tubers that are extensively consumed in various cuisines.
7. Gladiolus
Botanical name: Gladiolus
Gladiola tastes mildly like lettuce. Use individual colorful petals for decorating cakes, spreads, or mousses for various occasions.
8. Geranium
Botanical name: Pelargonium
These flowers have a strong citrus fragrance with a mild citrus flavor. They go perfectly with the sweet taste of cakes and desserts, giving them a sour aftertaste.
9. Hibiscus
Botanical name: Hibiscus
The big flowers of hibiscus have sour berry and mild citrus flavor. Its pairs really well with desserts and cake, making them more delicious. You can also add it to salads.
10. Honeysuckle
Botanical name: Lonicera
Honeysuckle, like its name, has a honey-ish flavor. Only consume the flowers as other parts like berry and stem can be poisonous.
11. Grape Hyacinth
Botanical name: Muscari botryoides
With a sour, grapy taste, it can be a great addition to cakes. However, these flowers have a bitter aftertaste and may not be of everyone’s liking.
12. Impatiens
Botanical name: Impatiens walleriana
Impatiens have a very mild flavor, but look stunning on cakes thanks to the fact that they come in many colors! The flowers are delicate, so use them with proper care.
13. Cape Jasmine
Botanical name: Gardenia jasminoides
Known for the enchanting fragrance, the flowers can be shredded to decorate cakes and can also be used in jams. They have a slightly sweet flavor.
14. Lavender
Botanical name: Lavandula
Lavender tastes lightly like mint and rosemary. Garnish the cake with its tiny petals for a floral look. It also adds a stunning fragrance and goes best with chocolate cakes.
Note: Avoid using lavender oil as it may be poisonous if taken internally.
15. Lilac
Botanical name: Syringa vulgaris
Lilac tastes like lemon with hints of slight bitterness. Its delicate flowers are available from blue to pale pink and give a refreshing punch to various cakes.
16. Marigold
Botanical name: Tagetes
Marigold carries a slight citrus taste sour to bitter. Some of the most flavorful species are Tagetes patula, Tagetes tenuifolia, and Tagetes patula x erecta.
Note: They can be harmful if consumed in large amounts. Eat occasionally in moderation.
17. Garland Chrysanthemum
Botanical name: Chrysanthemum coronarium
These flowers have a strong spicy flavor, which might not taste well with every flavor of cakes. However, its flowers will enhance the beauty of simple cakes and give a floral touch!
18. Nasturtium
Botanical name: Tropaeolum
Nasturtium has a mild peppery flavor. It looks attractive and is a typical garnish for cakes, cream cheese, or canapés. These flowers are also packed with Vitamin C.
19. Vanilla Orchid
Botanical name: Vanilla planifolia
Chefs around the world garnish cakes and desserts with its stunning petals. The flavor adds the famous vanilla flavor to cakes!
20. Pansy
Botanical name: Viola x wittrockiana
Popular in salads, pansy has a fresh, slightly lettuce-like flavor. It comes in a variety of colors, adding a dash of colors to pâté, desserts, and cakes.
21. Pot Marigold
Botanical name: Calendula officinalis
Gives out a tangy flavor with brilliant colors. The soft flowers can also be dried and used in place of saffron and offer a bright and tasty addition to cakes.
22. Peony
Botanical name: Paeonia
Peony’s taste is considered to be similar to a peach or strawberry. It has attractive, significant, and light-colored flowers that add a dash of colors to desserts!
23. Rose
Botanical name: Rosa
Rose offers a mild and versatile flower with a subtle sweet taste. Its petals are used to garnish cakes. Just don’t forget to remove the bitter white portion at the end of the petals.
24. Tulip
Botanical name: Tulipa
Offering a sweet flavor with a crisp texture, these flowers can be great to glamorize cakes! Remove pollen and stigmas before using them for garnishing.
Tips Before Using Flowers on Cakes
- Just because it smells good, doesn’t mean it is edible. Some blooms can be poisonous. Always use flowers mentioned in the list above.
- Use only those flowers that are not sprayed with pesticide or insecticide!
- Always prefer fresh flowers for garnishing. Avoid old and stored ones.
- Wash them thoroughly before using
- Do not put the stems while garnishing.
Also Read: How to Make a Garnish Garden in Containers
