Trust me,if I didn’t have a food blog, I would not have considered preparing even a dessert for Valentine’s day.We are two boring people who will not move their asses for occasions like Valentine’s to go for a dinner especially when it falls on a weekday.And eventually take pride in home cooked food and the limitless satisfaction it brings.If its a weekend then Valentine dinner is part of the usual routine of eating out.
Valentine’s Day was actually something I looked forward to when I was in school.You know how all those thoughts of fairy tales with suitors around the princess fill the heart of teenage girls and makes their cheeks pink 
Now come on, dont tell me that u didnt “care” much if you were a popular girl in school or not.At the bottom of your heart, you did nurture that desire..didnt you? And I wont believe you if you tell me that you didnt put an extra effort to look better on V-day In those times I associated rosy feelings with love and now I really dont care much.However,I do “wow” at all the heart balloons, musical greetings, floss pillows,candy and other stuff in the name of valentine and adore the pink[y] feel at stores these days.
I made this cake because I found valentine weekend reason enough to bake one for the blog. And I am always on a look out for such reasons .I don’t bake cakes normally..or actuallly I don’t like baking and frosting cakes without occassions.Prime resaon being that P does not like cakes sans the frosting and I find making decked up cakes too laborious. The good thing is that P is not too fond of baked goodies or if I put in the most explicit way, he dislikes cakes and muffins and cookies.Period. You see he is more into indian sweets and desserts.
For me, I am more thrilled about the baking part than eating.Infact I don’t remember eating a single full slice of the cakes I have baked in last 1 year.Moral of the story being that most of the cakes I make either get distributed to neighbours or get carried for morning coffee with colleagues.I like to bake once in a while to hone my skills..more like challenging myself “If I can do it or not?”. And when I bake, I plan it in a way to enjoy myself…I divide the whole process of baking, filling preparation , frosting over at least 2 days to enjoy myself…to give it my best shot and most of all for the happiness I get when the cake comes out good.A good looking cake is so therapeutic for me like many of you despite the fact that in my case, I catch that sight less often.
When I decide to bake a cake, I start looking for recipes which are simple but have a lot of offbeat ingredients and steps.I like to get into a toil mode to run to grocery stores with a long list in my pocket.I love spending time at the baking aisle to collect the things I need for sure and the anticipated ones.I start getting visuals of how the finished cake should look like.Its like constant sketching and erasing in the mind.I try to curb the raging fits of healthy eating in my mind and try not to concentrate on the number of cups of cheese or butter or sugar that will go into the cake.Sometimes I win and most of the times I give in and bootlessely start looking for ways to make the cake healthy. In the night I get dreams of how I drop the layers on floor while trying to arrange them or how I make world’s most runny frosting.I picture myself like a pastry chef who gets fired because her cake was the most ugly looking and plain tasting. I know I am sounding funny but its true..I know I m crazy about food.All in all, its like the overwhelm which fills the heart of Julia Child when she makes her beef bolognese.
I share a love-hate relationship with chocolate.And P loves only white chocolate.So while searching, chocolate cakes which RULE the world of cake recipes, were scrapped instanteneously.I wanted to make something exotic, with a touch of indian and rich and fruity..too long a wish list to aspire.Then it struck me, what better speaks the language of love than roses.I started my search.I did not find a lot of recipe on the internet but whichever I found sounded oaky.It took a week to settle on the decision of making a rose-water -almond cake with raspberry filling and rose cream cheese frosting.
I cannot imagine rose-water flavor without green cardamom-its a very indian palate to eat both in unison in sweets and desserts.I added a dash of green cardamom powder to the cake.The biggest challenge I faced was to find organic, dye free and edible roses.I had to actually drive down 20 miles to a speciality florist to buy them.Though I could have very well survived without the rose sugar in the cake but I so wanted to put in all the efforts to make it come out well.And did I mention that this is my first ever attempt at piping the frosting.My hand was shaky while I did it as you can see.But it was not too ugly I suppose And the taste–well if you are a fan of rose flavor, this flower-fruity cake is the best treat you can make for yourself.I know I m making this once every six months now.Anyhow below goes the recipe, dont forget to see the notes at the end.
What I need:[Recipe adapted from here and here]
For the Rose Almond cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
- 1 3/4 cup rose sugar [homemade by pulsing 1/2 cup organic,edible, dry rose petals with 1 2/3 cups sugar]
- 2 sticks unsalted butter,softened
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup almonds, chopped fine
- 3/4 cup milk mixed with 3/4 cups water
- 2 tbsp rosewater [available at Indian/Middle Eastern Stores]
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp fine green cardamom powder
- 5 whole eggs at room temperature
For the Raspberry Filling : [Makes little more than 3/4 cup]
- 1 1/2 cups fresh/frozen raspberries
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp sugar [adjust to taste]
For the Rose Cream Cheese Frosting : [Makes 3 cups]
- 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
- 1 tbsp rose water
How I did it:
Making the Rose-Almond Cake: Sift flour, cornstarch, salt, cardamom powder and baking powder two times and set aside.Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a tall 9″ spring foam pan.In a medium bowl, cream the butter and 3/4 cups of rose sugar until smooth.Next,mix in the milk and rosewater with the butter mixture and whisk well.In another large bowl, beat the eggs and rest of the rose sugar until pale yellow.Fold in the butter-milk mix with the egg mix gently. Next, add the flour mix in parts to the wet mixture of butter and eggs and combine gently until all lumps are removed.Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden for 30 to 35 minutes. Test with a skewer if it comes out clean or till the centre of the cake is spongy to touch.Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a rack.
Making the Raspberry Filling : Put all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and micro on high for 2 minutes.You will need to stir once midway.2 Let cool completely before spreading onto cake.
Making the Rose Cream Frosting : In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Mix in the rose-water,then gradually stir in the confectioners’ sugar.
Assembly of the cake:Cut the cooled cake into halves using toothpick and edible food color marks as reference. Separate the layers and spread the raspberry sauce on the bottom layer leaving 1/2″ gap from all sides. At this point if you want you can add more sliced berries or any fruit of choice.Transfer the top layer of the cake onto the bottom layer.Frost with rose cream frosting thoroughly to cover all over.Decorate with fresh fruit or as desired.I mixed some frosting with organic red food gel and piped it using the star tip.
Notes:
- Though I thought that 1 tbsp baking powder was way too much in the original recipe, I stuck to the recipe.My cake top sank a little bit [not too much] after cooling down.
- I was not very confident of decreasing or increasing the ingredients but the batter quantity is really too much.I baked some extra cupcakes because my spring foam was not very tall.
- Any kind of fruit or cream can be filled inside the cake.Just make sure that the fruit goes well with the rose flavor.
- If you are using rose essence in place of rose water, you will need to adjust the quantity because of the concentration level.
Enjoy!Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone!
Sending this to Saturday Swaps @Quit Eating Out
Tanvi, You did a beautiful job with this cake. I love almonds in cakes….its gives such a delciate flavour. Oh and don’t you worry about not doing anything on Valentine’s- we don’t either!
Pingback: Tweets that mention Rose-Almond Cake With Raspberry Filling and Rose Cream Frosting | Sinfully Spicy -- Topsy.com
Wow, what a beautiful looking cake dear, love the decoration, recipe and all about it. Happy valentine’s day.
Happy valentine’s day to you… We always try to celebrate valentine’s day in a special way and this time am planning a nice candlelight dinner too
But i have no idea where to start… roses is a great way to celebrate valentine’s day.. love ur idea 
spongy, yummy, delicious,… list is long 
and the cake looks so adorable at first
And for beginers like me frosting is a herculean task… u made it marvelous… love the clicks…
Cant take my eyes from the clicks Tanvi, wat a beautiful,gorgeous and elegant cake dear…Lovely frosting,love that rose cream cheese frosting,thanks for sharing..
Wow Tanvi., I think this is the most romantic cake I’ve seen. The colours are perfect, the decoration is so cute & the whole flavour combinations are to die for. Love it…,
that is indeed one good looking cake..i too find the job absolutely laborious but in my case my husband absolutely ends up eating most of it in two days time:)
i’ve never heard of using rosewater or rose petals before! how creative
. love the rose-y cake!!
I wouldn’t mind for one slice of that romantic looking cake, frosting looks so gorgeous Tanvi so are the pictures! As of now i don’t have any rosy effect for VD but yes a a growing girl it was! probably it does vanish as time grows by…anyways happy VD
That is a spectacular combination of flavours, I would be all over this cake. I don’t think I’ll be doing anything on monday night either, it’s just too inconvenient, and people work LOL (well, not me of course).
No matter what you end up doing though, I hope you have a marvellous day.
*kisses* HH
I am seeing Valentines day treats all over and this cake is one of my favorties! I love love it. looks really cute and delicious.
Have a great weekend.
Perfect Valentine’s day post
Such a beautiful cake..Happy V day to you !
Rose, almond, raspberry… oh my! Three of my favorite things. This cake is beautiful Tanvi! And so nice of you to make it just for your readers
Me, not so much. I don’t think I’ll be creating a vday dessert this year. I am out of town all weekend.
This cake is awesome and seems divine. I cant resist the temptation of having one big slice frm ur blog. Great frosting with home made roses, i can smell the freshness…
Tanvi,
This cake looks awesome, perfect for Valentine day.
Well, for someone who doesn’t make a whole lot of cakes, that one certainly is impressive! Wow – I for one am glad you decided to make something for Valentine’s Day this year …
Tanvi! I will be making your cake! I love the novel and exotic flavours. I have everying – I even collect and dry my own rose petals (sugared) but have green cardomom seeds I will have to grind myself. I don’t know where to find the powder and they should be more fragrant ground at home anyway, right?
Husbands are like that, aren’t they. Stuck in their rut. Mine, too. But, I don’t find Indian desserts so yummy. They are tooth achingly sweet to me. Hubby needs to transfer to this kind of healthier dessert, but it is hard when brought up on the other kind of dessert love. I know. My students go crazy for those deep fried treats. I forget their name. I must admit, they are a little addictive, but mainly as their texture is so novel.
There’s a little love your way on my post, too. I bet your husband would like what I made…. but, mine doesn’t so much. “It’s OK”.
HAPPY HEART DAY!
Valerie
Wow what a gorgeous cake and I love the flavors
this cake looks wonderful. i’m so glad you shared it. and thanks for visiting my blog!! you have some great stuff here. cheers.
I had no idea of V-day until my high school. The cake is very romantic with red touch
wow amazing cake but want to know did p like it!!!
wow what a gorgeous cake, very professional…..and so yummy.
I am SOO not a filling person when it comes to cakes but Tanvi, you make me a believer. This cake looks delish! And I love the photos you included. Simply wonderful.
Tanvi I love the contrast between the red fruits and decorations and the white frosting of your cake. Beautiful presentation!
Tanvi, I always love your stories, I am always smiling as I read them.
I laughed when I read that you drove 20 miles to get the rose petals, all we do for our blogs, hehe. That is why our husbands think we’re crazy and it’s half true. heheh.
Back to your cake, it’s soooo pretty and perfect for V-day! I love it and your photos!
That cake is so pretty! A great treat.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Cheers,
Rosa
You have perfected the art of torturing your readers with these delicious photographs, I wish scientists could think of a way we could just pick these goodies the moment we see them. By the way I received an award and abiding by the rules I chose 15 nominees and you are one of them, I do not know whether you would like to collect the awards after all you have several of them but I just wanted to inform you that I have given links to some of your posts. You see I have awarded the posts and I have commented on your lovely posts.
How pretty! I wish raspberries were in season. I’ve already got plans for them!
I’m not much of a Valentine celebrator either – in fact one of my best Valentine Day’s was when I went out with a friend and a group of his friends in North Beach (San Francisco’s Little Italy)…
My gosh that cake is gorgeous! It looks WAY better than anything you could EVER get in a restaurant or bakery!
I’m intrigued by your cake! I will have to try this. My mom included a bottle of rose water in the care package she sent me over the holidays to complete my Persian pantry.
I’ve never had dried rose petals other than with tea. What does it taste like? I imagine it would be somewhat bitter?
KM
I want to fly to LA to have this cake… will try making something today.. this has given me enough inspiration
wonderful looking cake
rose cream….yum..i love adding rose water to lemonade. try it!
what a perfect cake and treat for Valentine’s Day! The middle looks so moist!
Hi Tanvi,
How are you? ?It has been long since I last visited your blog..Obviously missed on great dishes from you..
Cake looks so pretty and delicious..beautifully done..Happy Valentine’s Day to you!
oh, and so nice you have found your blog!
Sh*t I’m so J I don’t think I can make a cake look half as good as that! MY Piping skills are disastrous to say the least, but to be honest or modest if I may say so, I think I can pipe if I wanted to but I always let impatience win over beauty
And I don’t prefer baking huge cakes either but I certainly don’t mind eating it 
Great flavors here TanO! Rose, cardamom, almonds sounds so Indian.
BEAUTIFUL CAKE!
I also just gave you a blog award so check it out
Tanvi, the cake looks so pretty and love the flavor…rose water and raspberries…perfect for Valentine’s Day
Thanks so much for linking this beautiful cake to Saturday Swap! Your photos are amazing…. and I can’t believe you don’t enjoy EATING your creations.
Tanvi – you say “fold in the butter-milk mixture with the egg mix gently”
do you mean ” fold in the egg -sugar mixture with the milk and mix gently – or what. The cake directions are confusing – and I need an asnwer asap, please.
Valerie
Wrong.
YOu are clear. I cannot read.
OMG Tanvi, this looks sensational and absolute perfection. I’ve been thinking about making a cake with indian flavors – cardamom, rosewater, cashew nuts, but this cake just topped my thoughts. I’m so bookmarking this and making it for a special occassion. Thank you so much!