Redbud Chocolate Cake – Recipe With Wild Flowers

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This Wild Redbud Chocolate Cake is the perfect dessert to usher in springtime! It’s rich, moist, and delicious for all the chocolate lovers, plus has the added bonus of bright natural color and extra vitamin c in the redbud flowers. Don’t let the season pass by without trying this special cake!

Can you eat flowers?

Yes, there are many edible flowers, both wild and cultivated, that you can use in your culinary endeavors! The vibrant redbud blossom is among the first wild edibles available to harvest in the spring. Our children love snacking on them straight off the trees! We also pick them in quantity to use in teas, salads, and desserts. Foraging through the seasons on our mountain homestead is something that I hope our children will remember with great fondness. Exploring God’s creation and all of the wild plants He provides for food and medicine is something that we highly value. It is a treat indeed to collect these beautiful blooms right outside our front door. 

We have been utilizing these beautiful flowers for a long time, but you need to keep some things in mind if it is your first time to try them. First, as with any new food, it is best to only eat a small amount in case of an adverse reaction. Also, you want to make sure you harvest from a tree that is free from chemicals and pollutants, preferably wild. Most importantly, know that your ID is 100% correct!

Where can you find a redbud tree?

The Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) is native to North America, and grows in the eastern part of the United States and Canada. It is a member of the legume family donning pea-shaped flowers and pods later in the season. They often grow in the understory of forests, and make a lovely addition to the home landscape as an ornamental tree. You can read more about Redbuds here.

How to make a Redbud Chocolate Cake

Cake Batter:

Dry Ingredients

2 c. all purpose flour – for a gluten free option use a GF 1:1 baking flour

3/4 c. cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. salt

1 3/4 c. sugar

Wet Ingredients

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. milk

1/2 c. butter (melted)

1/4 c. coconut oil (melted)

Flowers

1-2 c. redbuds

Frosting

1/2 c. cocoa powder

1/2 c. butter (softened)

8 oz. cream cheese (softened)

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. cream

2 1/4 c. powdered sugar

redbud flowers

Tools:

wire rack

measuring cups

measuring spoons

medium bowls

large bowl

mixer

wooden spoon

spatula

fork

butter knife

2- 9″ round cake pans

serving platter

Instructions for making a Redbud Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease the cake pans, set aside. We also coated them with cocoa powder to help prevent sticking.

Combine all of the dry ingredients except for sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl, and stir well with a fork or wire whisk.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla, and sugar. Add the melted butter and oil, and continue stirring. Finally, pour in the milk and combine well.

Add the flour mixture half at a time into the egg mixture, and beat until smooth. You can use an electric mixer on low speed, or mix by hand.

Now it’s time to add the redbud flowers to the cake batter! There are a few different ways you can do this: 

1) Add 1-2 cups of redbud blossoms into the batter to cook. I used 2 cups. This gives the batter a thicker texture, similar to carrot cake. If you don’t like things added into cake, then it’s probably best to skip this step and just add the flowers on top for garnish. We enjoy foraging and using as much of the plant as possible, so the added bulk and texture are things we don’t mind at all. You can always remove the small stems from the flower clusters (and only use the petals) if you want a smoother batter.

2) Skip adding the flowers to the batter, and instead add them in the frosting layer between the cakes. I would have done this as well if I had thought if it beforehand. They would look so pretty this way!

3) Only add the redbuds to the top as a garnish.

Pour cake batter into the prepared pans, dividing evenly.

Bake at 350 for 35 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Place pans on wire racks until cool. Then put the racks on top of the pans, and invert until the cakes come out. 

How to make the frosting

In a medium sized bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth. Then mix in the cream and vanilla on low speed.

Next, mix in the cocoa powder, and then the powdered sugar one cup at time.

Beat with the mixer until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure all of it is evenly mixed. 

Place one of the cakes on a platter, and spread frosting on top of it with a spatula or butter knife.

Stack on the second cake, and continue adding frosting all over the top and sides until smooth. 

Add a generous sprinkling of fresh redbud blossoms to your cake.

Beautiful!

Enjoy your Redbud Chocolate Cake right away, or store in the fridge overnight. This is best eaten within a day or two because the freshness fades quickly. Likewise, it is best not to freeze flowers because they don’t thaw well.

This would be perfect for a special occasion or as a ‘just because’ treat for your family. Harvesting your own wild edibles to use in nourishing meals transforms the common kitchen into an art studio!

Continue to Content

Wild Redbud Chocolate Cake

Yield: 16

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

This chocolate cake with wild redbud blossoms is the perfect dessert for spring, and a great way to use wild edibles in your kitchen!

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Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

• 2 c. flour - for a gluten free option use a GF 1:1 baking flour
• 3/4 c. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 c. sugar

Wet Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. butter (melted)
• 1/4 c. coconut oil (melted)

Flowers

• 1-2 c. redbuds + extra for garnish

Frosting

• 1/2 c. cocoa powder
• 1/2 c, butter (softened)
• 8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 Tbsp. cream
• 2 1/4 c. powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease 2 - 9" round cake pans.
3. Dust pans with cocoa powder to prevent sticking.
4. Combine all of the dry ingredients except for sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl, and stir well.
5. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla, and sugar.
6. Stir in the melted butter and oil.
7. Pour in the milk, and combine well.
8. Add the flour mixture half at a time into the egg mixture, and beat until smooth.
9. Add redbud flowers in the quantity of your choice to the batter and stir gently, or leave out of the batter and use for a garnish only.
10. Pour the cake batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
12. Place pans on wire racks until cool.
13. Put racks on top of the pans, and invert until the cakes come out.
14. Make the frosting,
15. In a medium sized bowl, beat the softened butter and cream cheese on high speed until smooth.
16. Then mix in the cream and vanilla on low speed.
17. Next mix in the cocoa powder, and then the powdered sugar one cup at time.
18. Beat with the mixer until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure all of it is evenly mixed.
19. Place one of the cakes on a platter, and spread the frosting on top of it.
20. Stack on the second cake, and continue adding frosting all over the top and sides until smooth.
21. Add a generous sprinkling of fresh redbud blossoms.
22. Enjoy!

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