Traditionally eaten on the 8th of March to celebrate La Festa Delle Donne (Ladies’ Day), the Italian ‘mimosa’ cake features a light-as-air genoise sponge, sweet whipped cream and a thick crème patissière. In this version, Cointreu and orange blossom add a subtle pang of zest.
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Orange blossom isn’t just for sweet styles. Here, both the blossom water and honey are added to tfaya, a Moroccan dish of caramelised onions. While tfaya is delicious served simply with couscous, we recommend taking things to the next level by making an accompanying lamb tagine.
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A Lebanese take on shortbread bikkies, ghraybeh are subtly scented with orange blossom water and festooned with blanched almonds.
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Neither sweet nor savoury, Morocco’s b’stilla pie is adored in Morocco for its aromatic inclusion of saffron, cinnamon, coriander leaves and orange blossom water. Traditionally made from pigeon, the filo pastry-wrapped pie is equally delicious with chicken.
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5. Cheesecake, reinvented
Two classically Middle Eastern ingredients – orange blossom water and dates – come together in this baked ricotta pie. A wonderful alternative to the standard cheesecake, this floral number sits on a shortbread biscuit bed.
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Similar to Bircher muesli, but with a little more bite in the grain, freekeh is a clever breakfast option, particularly for the cooler months. This recipe calls upon cinnamon quills for warmth, orange juice and blossom water for tang, and Medjool dates for sweetness.
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Carrots, kohlrabi and labneh come together for this beautiful Moroccan salad. Dressed with lemon juice, honey and orange blossom water, the combination is fresh, zesty and creamy.
Rice-based puddings are adored in France, and this caramel and orange blossom version is no exception to the rule. Made with Arborio rice, sultanas and vanilla beans, it’s a special dessert for dinner parties at home.
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Drawing on French and Middle Eastern influences, this frangipane tart is scented with orange blossom water and filled with rhubarb and pistachios. The pink rhubarb stalks help this pie visually pop, while a side serving of rhubarb syrup delivers a sweet-tart tang.
flower power players – orange blossom and rose water – join forces in the Lebanese dish kinafa. Made from milk, mozzarella cheese, semolina and cream, this sweet, pudding-like recipe would be equally appropriate for breakfast or dessert.
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Honey, lemon and blossom water team up for the syrup component of this Tunisian doughnut. Unlike other doughies, these ‘yo-yos’ also contain orange juice and zest in the batter.
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Sporting the syrupy-nuttiness of baklava, these triangular pastries known as briouats are sprinkled with sesame seeds and spiked with floral water.
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Orange blossom water isn’t just enjoyed in the Mediterranean and Middle East. Mexico’s pan de muerto (‘bread of the dead’), for instance, is spiked with the nectar, along with anise extract and fennel seeds. Used to decorate the graves of loved ones who have passed away, this sweet brioche is loved by the living, too.
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Tired of marshmallows being so… vanilla? Lace yours with floral flavours for a sweet surprise.
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These crisp golden pastries are filled with ashta cream – a clever Lebanese unsweetened faux clotted cream – and then drenched with a fragrant syrup. Known as znoud el sett in Arabic, which amusingly translates as 'the upper arms of a lady', these filo fingers are beautiful scattered with pistachios and rose petals.
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