by Suzanne Ress 
I love baking homemade desserts and experimenting with ingredients to create original and delicious new recipes, and because my family produces much of our own food, I always try to use what is on hand rather than buy ingredients at the store. I decided to try using more aromatic herbs in desserts after my first successful experiment, lemon bars with lavender.
Many aromatic herbs contain some of the same chemical compounds found in spices that are commonly used in baked goods and other desserts and blend very well in combination with those spices or in place of them. For example, cloves, which are a usual ingredient in pumpkin pie, peach desserts, and cherry desserts, contain eugenol. This is what gives cloves their aroma and flavor. Eugenol is also found in basil leaves, bay leaves, and lemon balm. Basil leaves also contain estragole, which is similar to anethole, found in fennel and anise. Bay leaves also contain cineole, which is a component of cardamom. It seemed to me that adding basil to a peach pie rather than cloves would give it a familiar yet different flavor that would not be so different as to be unpleasant.
Many aromatic herbs have a lemony scent and flavor that blends naturally well with fruity and sweet flavors. Some of these are lemon thyme (which contains geranial, a compound used to create artificial fruit flavors in the laboratory), lemon verbena, lemon grass, lemon balm, and lemon basil. All of these can be used successfully to enhance the flavors of desserts.
More unusual perhaps are rosemary, marjoram, dill, thyme, and oregano, which are usually associated with savory dishes. But, on closer inspection, marjoram contains one of the same natural chemicals found in nutmeg, so why not try using it in apple pie, for example? Rosemary, which traditionally pairs so well with potatoes, also tastes surprisingly right with apricots; and thyme, when paired with orange, creates a flavor redolent of mandarin orange.
Oregano’s distinctive taste, which often makes people think immediately of Italian tomato sauces and pizza, comes from carvacrol, found in savory and in Egyptian lavender. I have heard of oregano ice cream and chocolate with oregano, but I have not yet tried using it in home baked goods.
Dill, which goes so classically well with beets or with lemon, contains carvone, also found in spearmint and in caraway seed, and would blend nicely into orangey desserts, carrot cakes, and possibly even chocolate brownies!
When experimenting with aromatic herbs in sweet dishes, use your sensory imagination to find new flavor combinations that work in surprising ways.
Among all food categories, herbs, in general, have the highest antioxidant level. Although there is large variation between different herbs, common peppermint and oregano both are very high in antioxidants.
In most of my recipes, I use honey rather than sugar, partly because as a beekeeper, I always have a lot of honey on hand and partly because I try to avoid eating refined white sugar at all. Feel free to substitute sugar for honey, if desired, in the same amount. By “light honey,” I mean a delicately flavored honey, such as clover or spring wildflower. A medium honey would be summer wildflower or most monofloral fruit tree honeys, such as apple, cherry, or plum. In all cases, if you use honey, use it in its liquid form.
Beet Cake with Bay Leaf and Cardamom
2 fresh raw beets
1 cup medium honey
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1½ cups flour
2 finely chopped bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1½ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
¾ cup chopped black walnuts or English walnuts
Wash, peel, and finely grate the beets. Squeeze out excess liquid.
Whisk honey and oil together in a bowl, then beat in eggs, one at a time.
Mix together all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and then stir them into the oil mixture.
Stir in beets and nuts.
Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan (I use a pan that’s 4 × 12 × 3 inches), and bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes.
This is a rich, dense cake that does not require frosting.
Tomato Cake with Basil Frosting
After one failed attempt that tasted more like pizza than cake, I came up with this very tasty recipe.
For the cake:
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup light honey, such as clover
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cardamom
2 whole fresh medium tomatoes, pureed
Cream together the butter and honey in a medium bowl using an electric mixer. Mix in the eggs one at a time, and then add vanilla and mix well.
In a separate bowl, blend together all the dry ingredients.
Alternating with the flour mixture, add the pureed tomatoes to the butter mixture and blend well.
Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 40–50 minutes.
Let cool completely before frosting.
For the basil frosting:
½ cup basil, packed
2 cups powdered sugar, separated
¼ cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Green food coloring
Into an electric herb chopper or food processor, put ½ cup of the powdered sugar and all the basil leaves and process until it forms a paste.
Mix in the softened butter, vanilla, and the rest of the powdered sugar. This can all be done in the food processor. Blend in a few drops green food coloring.
Frost the cake when it is cool, and store it in the refrigerator.
Six Yellow Cupcakes with Marjoram and Lavender
These are very pretty and festive, decorated with rose petals and lavender flowers.
For the cupcakes:
⅓ cup butter, softened
¾ cup light honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla or rose water
1¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup milk
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lavender flowers
1 tablespoon marjoram buds
Cream the honey with the butter, using an electric mixer. Mix in the egg and the vanilla or rose water.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Alternating with the milk, add this to the butter mixture. Stir in the lavender, marjoram, and lemon zest. Pour into cupcake tins lined with cupcake papers, and bake at 350°F for 25–30 minutes.
For the buttercream frosting:
¼ cup butter, softened
2¼ cups powdered sugar
Lemon juice
Zest of ½ lemon
A few rose petals
A few lavender buds
Cream the butter and powdered sugar together using an electric mixer. Add enough lemon juice to make it a spreadable consistency. Stir in the lemon zest.
Frost the yellow cupcakes when they are cool. Decorate them with rose petals and lavender buds.
Apricot Pie with Rosemary
For the almond crust:
1 cup almond flour (finely ground almonds)
1¼ cups regular flour
1 teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
⅔ cup cold butter
⅓ cup cold water
Mix together the two flours, the nutmeg, and the salt. Cut in the cold butter till it looks like crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the cold water, then quickly mix with a fork until the dough comes together. Form into two balls and refrigerate. Meanwhile, make the filling.
For the filling:
2 pounds fresh apricots, stoned and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup light honey
½ cup cornstarch
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon crumbled dried rosemary
Mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl. Roll out one ball of dough to a circular shape that will fit into your pie pan. Carefully fold it into quarters, put it into the pie pan, and unfold. There should be a little overlap around the edges of the pie pan. Spoon all the filling into the crust, and then roll out the other ball of dough for the top crust. Crimp the edges of the two crusts together and use a sharp knife to cut an X in the center of the top crust to let steam escape. Bake at 375°F for 50 minutes.
Lemon Bars with Lavender
1 cup flour, plus 2 tablespoons
½ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup light honey
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoon fresh lavender buds, crumbled
Combine 1 cup flour and the butter and pat the mixture into an 8-inch square pan. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.
Beat the eggs and add the honey. Mix in the dry ingredients and the lemon juice. Stir in the zest and the lavender. Pour over the crust.
Bake at 350°F for 25 more minutes.
Gingerbread with Lemongrass
I am a huge fan of gingerbread and have tried many different recipes over the years, discovering that the more gingery it is the more I like it. The lemongrass in this recipe exalts the ginger flavor, making for a smooth and perfectly gingery taste experience.
2¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 cup dark molasses
1 egg
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh or dried lemongrass
1½ inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Blend the powdered spices into the oil in a medium bowl. Beat the molasses and egg into the oil mixture. Alternating with the hot water, add the flour mixture to the molasses and oil blend. Beat well. Stir in the lemongrass and ginger root. Pour into a greased and floured 8-inch square pan and bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
Extra Dark Chocolate Brownies with Mint
½ cup flour
⅓ cup sugarless cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup medium honey
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ounces high-quality baking chocolate, 85‒99% cacao, broken into small chips
1 teaspoon dried peppermint leaf, crumbled
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Cream the butter and honey together, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the chocolate pieces and the peppermint. Spread in an 8-inch square pan and bake at 350°F for 20‒25 minutes.
Majestic Summer Trifle
2 cups whole milk, plus a few tablespoons
½ cup light honey, plus 2 tablespoons
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, plus a few drops
1 package store-bought ladyfingers (between 10 and 14, depending on their size)
¾ cup brandy
4 ripe peaches
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cloves
6 fresh lemon verbena leaves, finely chopped
10 fresh Melissa leaves, finely chopped
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 cups fresh raspberries
½ cup slivered almonds
First, make the vanilla pudding. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low flame, gently heat the milk with the honey and salt. When it is just too hot to touch, put one ladleful into a cup, sprinkle on the cornstarch, and whisk thoroughly, then return this to the saucepan and continue stirring until it begins to thicken and is nearly boiling. Remove it from the heat. Beat the egg yolks in the same cup and add a few tablespoons of cold milk to it, whisking all the while. Then, add a ladleful of the hot milk mixture, continually whisking. Pour this egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan, always whisking, and return the saucepan to low heat. Stir constantly until it is thick and smooth, about two minutes, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let cool.
Now, leave the ladyfingers in a dish with the brandy to soak.
Peel the peaches and slice them into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of honey, the ground cloves, the chopped verbena, and the Melissa, and stir to blend.
Whip the cream and, just at the end, add the powdered sugar and a few drops of vanilla extract.
Now assemble the trifle. In a wide glass bowl or trifle dish, arrange the soaked ladyfingers to cover the bottom and partway up the sides. Layer on the peaches, then the pudding, and then the raspberries. On top of it all, spread the whipped cream. Chill for several hours. Just before serving, sprinkle the slivered almonds over the top.
Resources
Brunning, Andy. “Chemical Compounds in Herbs and Spices.” Compound Interest. March 13, 2014. https://www.compoundchem.com/2014/03/13/chemical-compounds-in-herbs-spices/.
Segnit, Niki. The Flavour Thesaurus: Pairings, Recipes and Ideas for the Creative Cook. London: Bloomsbury, 2010.