Pink Frosting Without Food Coloring

Pink frosting makes me think of a giant (Jack and the Bean Stalk sized) princess popping bubble gum, smashing it in her face, collecting it in a bowl, and storing it for later.  My pink frosting, however, is not bubble gum-flavored and it does does not have a giant's cooties on it.  Better yet, I didn't use any artificial food coloring to make pink frosting.  I didn't use any berries, either!

So, how did I do it?

Candied Flowers - Hibiscus

Rather than throw away the hibiscus flowers that I had brewed into hibiscus tea, I saved them and let them do double duty as candy - hooray for less food waste*.  Candied hibiscus flowers are sweet and super crunchy and I could totally see an alternate universe where popcorn was weird and candied hibiscus flowers were the normal snack to munch on while watching a movie.

Hibiscus Tea - Brewed at Home From Dried Hibiscus Flowers

Hibiscus tea has such a complex flavor that first time tasters will be surprised to discover that it is only dried hibiscus and sugar steeped in water.  Bearing no resemblance at all to lowly Lipton, Hibiscus tea more closely resembles a wine cooler.  The taste is familiar, but distinctly different: part citrus, part grape, possibly pomegranate, and a big dose of your garden when a soft breeze blows by.

How to Make Hibiscus Tea

I got the idea and instructions for making hibiscus tea from my Taste and Create partner this month, Liz at A Whisk and a Prayer.  I had been talking about edible hibiscus the day before I got assigned to be her partner, so as soon as I saw this tea, I knew that it was what I wanted to make (and, of course, a cupcake that features hibiscus).  Here's how to brew hibiscus tea: