The May Day bank holiday began with great enthusiasm and the intention of weeding the front garden. A sea of violets had taken over the driveway to compete with the dandelion lawn (not a pretty colour palette!) Ten minutes later I was back in the kitchen with a basket full of violets, busy whipping egg whites. Who knew that weeding would lead to an afternoon of baking?
We were delighted when the lovely people at The White Company chose the violet doughnuts as the winning photograph in their Great British Bank Holiday competition.
A quick guide
Whip egg whites to a soft foam and gently paint on to each petal using a small paint brush before sprinkling carefully with fine sugar. Once coated the violets were left to dry for 24 hours. A bit of rocket and a few pansies also got the sugar treatment.
We used William's new Wilton doughnut pan and followed their recipe for baked doughnuts. We made a simple glaze from icing sugar and coloured it with the smallest amount of red and blue food colouring to create a lilac colour. Fresh doughnuts sprinkled with crystallised violets for a bank-holiday treat!
