I made this cake for two sweethearts, their love and youth as effortlessly balanced as her hand in his. Her champagne colored dress, a rare standout in the sea of white, sparkled and shined in contrast to his stately navy. They circled and swayed as the record player spun with just the right crackles and scratches. “Hold me close and hold me fast, the magic spell you cast. This is la vie en rose.”
The piano keys flickered with the candlelight, the brassy trumpet and raspy voice slowed time, and I felt purely at ease, for a moment, the high we makers chase was firmly in my grasp. Romance has that effect on me.
Inspired by young love, by their song, this is the Cake en Rose, or Le Gâteau en Rose, if you will.
“When you press me to your heart
I’m in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak, angels sing from above
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be la vie en rose.”
To all you hopeless romantics out there!
xoxo,
p.s: Eventually, you’ll be able to see all the wedding details I created for Les and Brittni on my portfolio site, so stay tuned.
Rose Water Chocolate Chunk Layer Cake with Rose Water Frosting & Rose Macarons
About this Recipe: Because I wanted a smaller layer cake, I baked a 9×13 pan and used a 5” biscuit cutter to create the round layers. Alternately, you could use 3 6×2-inch round springform pans. Split them in halves horizontally if you want even more layers. The cake layers are separated by thin spreads of red currant jam. Overall, the cake is light, floral, and fruity with bites of dark chocolate and a hint of fall flavors.
Rose Water Chocolate Chunk Cake
yield: 9 x 13 pan
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sprouted spelt flour (recommended: One Degree Organics)
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 egg whites (cage-free/organic), separated
1 cup organic unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cups organic raw cane sugar
3/4 cup local honey
1/4 cup plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt
1/4 cup organic whole milk
4 Tablespoons rose water
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons red currant jam (recommended: Bonne Maman)
1 cup dark chocolate chunks
Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a 9×13 pan with parchment, or grease three 6×2-inch round springform pans.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat egg whites until frothy. Transfer to a separate container, and set aside.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light in color and smooth.
Add the honey, yogurt, milk, rose water and vanilla, and beat until smooth. Beat in the red currant jam.
Alternate adding the flour mixture and egg whites into butter mixture until combined. Do not over mix.
Fold in the chocolate chunks, then pour batter evenly into the prepared cake pan(s), and bake until golden, about 35-40 minutes.
Place the cake(s) on a cooling rack and let cool for ~10 minutes before removing from the pan. Let cool completely before frosting, about 1-hour.
Rose Water Frosting
Ingredients
1 cup organic heavy cream
1 Tablespoon organic powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons rose water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
In the chilled bowl of a stand mixer, combine all the ingredients. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Keep chilled until ready to use.
Assemble/Garnish
Rosewater Frosting (recipe above)
Red currant jam (recommended: Bonne Maman)
Rose Flavored Macarons (from Gaby et Jules)
Rosemary
Roses
Greenery/seasonal leaves
Directions
If using two cakes, use a Lazy Susan to cut each into two horizontal layers (a total of 4 layers of cake). If using three identical pans, leave the layers as is.
Place the base layer on the serving platter. Spread an even layer of red currant jam on the surface of the cake. Top with the second layer of cake, and press down gently. Repeat the process until the top layer.
Frost the sides and top of the cake with a thin layer, and use an offset spatula to smooth the surface.
Garnish with *flowers, fresh rosemary, macarons and *leaves.
*Note: If using fresh flowers, be careful to protect the cake from any floral byproduct and caution against eating any inedible flowers. You can wrap the ends of stems in foil as a cautionary measure.
Keep chilled until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
