This recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma.
Various edible fresh flowers may be candied for decorating or garnishing cakes. The best choices are small blossoms with simple configurations of petals that can easily be brushed with egg white and coated with granules of sugar. These include violets, pansies, small roses and Peruvian lilies. It is especially important to look for flowers grown without pesticides. Farmers’ markets are one source for untreated flowers. You can also grow your own or obtain them from a friend’s home garden. If you cannot verify that a flower is edible or is pesticide free, it is best not to use it.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Collection Series, Cake, by Fran Gage (Simon & Schuster, 2003).