Naturally Color Your Cake Frosting with Dried Hibiscus Flowers!

 "Glowing Inside" 5x7 print by Etsy Shop Jeff Coat Art

I have always been mesmerized by the beauty of hibiscus flowers. My beloved Grandpa Bill would grow big hibiscus blooms in his garden and I often remember him picking one for me which I would then put in my hair like one of the beautiful Tahitian ladies in the famous Paul Gauguin's paintings. Below is a painting of a hibiscus flower that I found on Etsy that is absolutely stunning!

 "Red Hibiscus Painting" by Etsy Shop Onerase: Original Art by William Gilliam

In April, I made this brightly colored Barbie doll cake to celebrate the welcoming of my precious baby niece Lydia. I naturally colored the cake frosting with a homemade hibiscus syrup. Isn't the color vibrant?! The recipe is very simple. All I used was about 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of dried hibiscus flowers; I placed them in a small pot with about 3/4 - 1 cup of water and I added 1/4 cup of sugar. I simmered this "tea" on low for an hour or so until the liquid reduced down to a thicker solution "syrup". While simmering, I made my buttercream frosting which was just a few sticks of softened butter that I blended with powdered sugar (sweeten to taste). Once my hibiscus syrup was ready, I added it to my frosting and I was amazed at how beautifully radiant the color was! It made a dark raspberry pink color...which was almost red!

Here is an example of what your tea will look like below; you can find these dried hibiscus flowers "Organic Hibiscus Tea" in Etsy shop Happy Earth Tea:

Looking for a vintage Barbie doll for a homemade doll cake? I have some here in my Etsy Shop: Vintage Barbie Dolls.

 This blog article was contributed by the Etsy Recyclers Guild Team Captain Jessica of Eco-Friendly Freckles