I’ve been wanting to make this cake for such a long time. Sometimes, when it comes to recipes, I get an idea in my head and then I can’t stop thinking about it until I’ve made it. This was one of those cakes. And I am super excited to be sharing it with you!
I have made rose cupcakes before with rose water, but I have never actually used fresh rose petals, so this was new. I have never eaten a petal before, and I was pleasantly surprised at the flavour! I was expecting something really bitter but it was delicately rose flavoured and soft. The mix of fresh rose petals and rose water set this cake off to a new level. It’s floral but not overpoweringly so. I mean, I am a fan of parma violets (those very floral purple sweets!) but I know a lot of people aren’t, and this isn’t as strong as that.
The process of crystallising rose petals is extremely straight forward. The petals are coated with a light layer of egg wash, and then sprinkled with caster sugar. Once fully dried (about 24 hours), you are left with a beautifully crisp petal, which looks slightly frozen and sparkly, that will keep in an airtight container for up to a year. This is a great way to decorate a cake if you aren’t up for doing any fancy piping work, or want something impressive without too much fussing.
This sponge recipe is actually one of my favourite ones I have made. There’s a little less flour than normal, which results in a beautifully moist sponge, but this also rose so evenly in the oven that I didn’t have to do any level-ing off at all! And it is the most beautiful light golden colour.
To fill the cake, I pipe a ring of buttercream around the sponge to keep the jam on the inside so that the outside stays beautifully white and crisp.
The frosting for this cake is also a light buttercream, with a light hint of rose water! I kept it very simple and plain on the outside as I wanted the crystallised rose petals to take centre stage, but you really could do anything you want to.
Let me know in the comments if you have ever tried fresh flowers on a cake and if so, do you have a favourite?
Raspberry Rose Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
225g Butter (at room temperature)
450g Caster Sugar
250g All Purpose Flour
Pinch of Salt
4 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Rose Water
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
230ml Whole Milk
For the Filling and Frosting
5 Tbsp Raspberry Jam
250g Butter (at room temperature)
500g Icing Sugar
1 Tbsp Whole Milk
1 Tbsp Rose Water
For the Decoration
Rose Petals
1 Egg White plus a little water
Caster Sugar for sprinkling
Equipment
1 large baking tray lined with parchment paper
1 small paint brush (used for food only)
2 8″ cake tins greased and floured
A stand mixer (or electric hand mixer)
Steps
1. First make the rose petals. Please note they take 24 hours to dry, so start the day before you want to display the cake. In a small ramekin, mix together the egg white and a tsp of water. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Pick the petals off the rose and wash them in water, then blot dry with a paper towel. Using a small paintbrush that is only used for food, paint the rose petal on both sides with a light coating of egg wash. Sprinkle with caster sugar on both sides and shake off any excess. Leave to dry on the parchment paper. Repeat for as many rose petals as you wish to use.
2. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Cream together the butter and sugar in a freestanding mixture until fully combined and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Beat for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth.
3. In another bowl combine the flour, salt and baking powder, and mix until evenly distributed.
4. Add the flour to the egg mixture in 3 separate parts. In another jug mix together the milk and the vanilla extract, then add to the mixture, beating on a slow speed. Add the rose water last and mix just until combined.
5. Line two 8 inch cake tins and spoon the mixture evenly into both. Bake for 30-35Â minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Once done allow to cool in the tin for at least 45 mins to an hour, then turn out the cake onto a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.
6. While the cake is cooling, make the buttercream. In the freestanding mixer, mix the butter on a high speed for 5 minutes. Then add the icing sugar in 3 separate parts and mix on a slow speed until fully incorporated. Add the milk and rose water and beat again on a high speed for a further 5 minutes.
7. Once the cakes have cooled, turn one half onto a serving plate and pipe a ring of the buttercream around the outside. This will keep the jam inside! Warm the jam either in a small saucepan, or in the microwave for 20 seconds to make it just slightly more runny. Then pour on top of the bottom layer of the cake inside the buttercream piping. Place the other cake on top and coat the whole cake with a very thin layer of buttercream. This is called crumb coating and will make icing the rest of the cake a lot easier. Place the cake in the fridge for about 15 minutes to let the first coat dry slightly.
8. Once 15 minutes has passed, take the cake out of the fridge and continue to ice the cake. Use as much of the buttercream as you like depending on how thick you like the frosting. Garnish with the rose petals and serve!
Note: Any rose petals not used on the cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to a year. Rose petals put on the cake will start to absorb moisture from the buttercream and will only last for a couple of days.
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