Orange flower water help

Cafe Society
1

I would like to make an orange-cardamom cupcake recipe tonight. It calls for 2 teaspoons of orange flower water, and says it’s widely available in liquor stores. Alas, it’s not available in them around here, and it’s not at the Middle Eastern market (a random try on my part - rosewater is Middle Eastern, right?)

So, how can I substitute for the orange flower water? I have triple sec, orange extract, and orange juice but don’t know how much of each has the flavor punch of two teaspoons of the orange flower water. I also have rosewater, which one website said I could substitute with, but I’m not making rose-cardamom cupcakes.

Any thoughts? I hope to start baking within an hour or so. If I haven’t heard anything, I’m going with the triple sec.

2

Orange flower water doesn’t smell or taste anything like oranges; it’s very fragrant and floral. Rosewater might be a bit too sickly or cloying, but it’s closer to orange flower water than orange oil or orange extract or anything like that.

3

just a thought… can you get anything (cordial, herbal teabags…) that is flavoured with elderflowers?

4

Thanks, Mangetout. I’ll give it a try, then. I bought the rosewater over a year ago to make Turkish Delight and never did. It’s about time I break it out.

5

Oops, I missed your second response. If I were inclined to go out looking for elderflower products, I would probably instead stick to trying to find the orange flower water. I’m making these as a trial run, as I’m in charge of baking cupcakes for a wedding next year.

(BTW, you seem to know how to cook everything. Do you have a favorite cupcake recipe? I’m aiming to make a bunch for the bride and groom to have a tasting sometime relatively soon)

6

Orange flower water is a traditional ingredient in Mexican weddings cakes, so a Mexican grocery might carry it.

For substitutions, it’s not so much finding something that tastes *like *orange flower, but using something else that will taste good, if you know what I mean. Here are some suggestions:

7

Thanks, WhyNot. I had seen that second link, but I had cupcakes on the brain and couldn’t wait 24 hours. I’ll try a Mexican grocery the next time I bake these.

Well, the batter is very yummy, and smells great. The rosewater did have a cloying scent, but it turned out that this batch size is HUGE! (I made two 8-inch square cakes as well as a dozen cupcakes. Someone has stolen my second muffin pan.) Two teaspoons distributed nicely.

8

Yea, go to a Latin market, they’ll have agua de azahar (orange flower water). Be careful, and don’t add more than the recommended amount. It’s mild, but it can be overpowering.

It’s supposed to be soothing. I’ve drank it (straight) whenever I was in some situation that required calmed nerves (like my graduations).

9

I’d try a store that caters to foodies. Williams-Sonoma might have it, too.

We had a French foreign exchange student a few years ago, and she used it in her crepes recipe.