Our contributor, Tessa Huff, is back today with a lovely new cake recipe….
I’m usually much more of a night owl, but I find that there is just something about a crisp, quiet winter morning that is so romantic. I can get lost in the stillness before the city wakes up or the calm of a beautiful winter wonderland. Add in a bit of sun, and I’m smitten. With the occasional peak of sun shinning in my neck of the woods and Valentine’s Day just around the corner, love is definitely in the air. Sure most of you might think spring and rejuvenation sing the song of love more than the cold, but being all bundled up, scarf tied, and hot tea in hand makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. While rich, chocolate desserts are great for warming up next to a fire, this light and airy cake is my ode to winter love.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a nice and decadent dessert or chocolate-dipped strawberry from time to time, but this heavenly cake is a bit more feminine and romantic. Nothing says love like petal pink and roses, right? This cake is frosted in smooth rose-flavored buttercream. It is silky with subtly sweet and floral accents. The white chocolate cake is light yet velvety. It is a butter-based cake with great depth of flavor from the white chocolate. This cake is not dripping with caramel or smothered in crushed cookies, as the flavors really do speak for themselves. With a smooth finish and sugar pearl accents, the design is as chic and sophisticated as the flavors. Enjoy a slice with your morning tea or share with a loved for Valentine’s Day.
WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH ROSE BUTTERCREAM
a recipe by Tessa Huff
(yields 12 servings)
For the White Chocolate Cake:
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup milk
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare three 8″ round baking pans and set aside.
- Using a double-boiler, melt the white chocolate and set aside.
- Sift together the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high until lighted.
- Add the sugar and continue to mix until fluffy.
- Mixing on medium-low, add in the egg yolks, vanilla, and melted white chocolate.
- Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- With the mixer on low, alternate adding in the dry ingredients and milk in 3 batches- ending and starting with the dry ingredients.
- Mix until just combined.
- Pour batter into prepared pans and bake until done and slightly golden (about 20-22 minutes)
For the Rose Buttercream:
6 ounce egg whites
2 cups sugar
3 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rose extract
pink food gel color (optional)
- Place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Gently whisk to combine.
- Place mixing bowl over a medium saucepan of water to create a double-boiler.
- Whisking constantly, heat on medium-high until the egg mixture is hot to the touch (about 160 degrees F on candy thermometer)
- Transfer the bowl back to the stand mixer and beat on high with the whisk attachment.
- Continue to mix until the bowl become room temperature.
- Stop the mixer and swap out the whisk attachment for the paddle.
- With the mixer on medium-low, add in the vanilla and butter, a few tablespoons at a time.
- Continue to mix until light and smooth.
- Add in the rose flavor to your liking and the pink color (optional).
- Mix until everything is fully incorporated.
YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY:
My Raspberry Earl Grey Cake
My Lemon Meringue Cake
My Orange Creamsicle Cake
My Banana Choco Hazelnut Cake
My Raspberry Blood Orange Cake
Thank you for sharing, I will definitly try this recipe. I would love to know how to make the cake look so sharp like yours, thank you,
I would also like to know how you manage to get your cakes looking so flawless.
An offset spatula dipped in hot water, then dried, is my preferred tool for smoothing buttercream. Looks like we should put together a step-by-step tutorial, showing how to get those nice straight sides and sharp top. Would you all be interested in that?
Thanks for reading and for all of the great feedback on Tessa’s cake!
A video tutorial would be wonderful. Thank you.
Would LOVE to learn how to do this!!!!
YES! Please post a tutorial on how to make my cakes look like yours!!!!!!!! Beautiful! Gorgeous even!!!
YES PLEASE!!
I would love a class on perfecting the icing a cake
Yesssss Please!
I love rosewater desserts – must try this!
Please can you tell me if cake flour is plain or self raising? Love the cake 🙂
Cake flour is more finely ground with a lower percentage of protein than all-purpose flour.
Would love to try the buttercream recipe, sounds delicious! Just wondering what type of sugar? Castor sugar or white icing sugar ( also know as confectionary sugar) thank you in advance
Use castor sugar in this type of buttercream 🙂
Yes! Granulated sugar or castor sugar (extra fine granulated sugar) works for this buttercream receipe.
Actually, a hot spatula would melt the butter and give you a streaky look. Pop it in the fridge and just keep scraping til you get it smooth.
A video would be awesome for us visual learners! Than you in advance!
what a beautiful cake!
Looks amazing! Pinned and tweeted 🙂
This looks amazing and I love rose flavor anything! but where do you get rose water or rose extract?
I’ve found rose water and rose extract in specialty food stores, in with the other extracts. Nielsen-Massey makes one (I love their vanilla extract). If you can’t find any locally, it’s also available on Amazon. We’ve added links the in the recipe above for you!
Omg I def need to try this! Please a turitorial on how to get it so smooth!!!!!!
This sounds amazing, I love orange blossom water, too, and would love to try that!
I love the simplicity of this cake.
Your buttercream is so smooth!
Gorgeous cake!
This is the most delicious cake! Just be sure to use the specific sized pans mentioned. 😉
I made this beautiful Cake for my daughters 16th Birthday dinner on Monday February 17th, 2014.
It was perfect! Tho a little difficult to make it was well worth trying! The white chocolate came thru with lots of flavor and the buttercream was divine. I highly recommend making this one. Its a keeper!
Hi Tessa, would you be able to give metric measurements for members in Australia
Regards
Marion
Do you use whole milk for this recipe?
Yes, whole milk is best for baking.
such a simple and beautiful cake, pretty color and design, thank you for sharing
Stunning cake! I made my own version of a rose cake for my mum on Mother’s Day, but I wish I’d seen yours first!
Is the batter suppose to be this thick, I wasn’t sure if I was suppose to put more then 1 1/4 cup of milk
Very inspiring. I really like this.You tried something new.it is fantastic to see a useful blog.
How much butter in oz. would the 3 cups be?
3 cups of butter is 24 ounces
Are u supposed to use regular sugar or confectioners sugar in the buttercream icing? It says sugar so that is what i used but it is so thin and watery. I looked other buttercream receipes and it says confectioners. Hmmm….
Regular sugar – this is a meringue based buttercream which is different than a traditional American buttercream which uses confectioners sugar.
If your icing was thin and watery after adding the butter, that is okay. Just continue mixing until it emulsifies and is light and fluffy. This can take up to 10 minutes – so just let the mixer run.
If it still does not come together, it may be because your mixture is too hot and the butter has somewhat melted. Pop your bowl into the fridge for a few minutes to bring the temp down, and then mix again.
Can’t wait to try this recipe!! It looks soooo good! If I use 9″ pans will it cook okay??
Sure! Your layers will be somewhat thinner, so it will bake a little faster. You’ll want to watch your baking time so that you don’t over do it.
Hi! I’m making this for a friend’s engagement party, was wondering how many eggs I should use for the cake? Is it 6 eggs? Or 6 ounce eggs yolks? Because then it would be 3 eggs? Sorry for the confusion! It’s quite urgent! Thanks x
6 egg yolks for the cake itself. 6 ounces egg whites for buttercream. Enjoy!
I will be doing my daughters wedding cake. I want to know can I pipe this butter cream? If I made this white chocolate cake and this rose butter cream, how far in advance can I do this. This cake should be chilled, but how long ahead can I do it. Timing is very important I have to cook for the reception as well. It has been awhile. But I had this idea with a white cake and white chocolate filling. But thought of rose extract. Glad to see this one. I like it better. Will rose extract alone add color? Looking for a white frosting for wedding cake?
I have a question about that beautiful cake stand!!!
Where would I find something like that?
Thanks!!
Can’t wait to try this!
What depth of pan is needed. Does this need to be an 8″x3″ or will 8″x2″ be okay?
It’s really looking yummy..Need more cake preparations. Thank you
Absolutely beautiful cake! I’m making my parents a 25th anniversary cake for the weekend, but because of my work schedule I need to make it a few days before to freeze – would it be possible to freeze the sponge layers?
Ur cake is stunning….never tryd rose flavoured buttercream….I hav a doubt on 6oz egg whites. ..
Can this be made using three 9″ pans?
Just made this beautiful cake for a friends wedding shower. Just a quick tip, the recipe says 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. The tablespoon is definitely an error, I learned the hard way and had cakes exploding in the oven ha! I believe it should be 1 and a 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder.
XoXo
Madisyn
My first two cakes did this 🙁 The second batch sank in the middle.
I made this cake and it was amazing!!! I did have issues with sinking though. Any ideas of why this may have happened.
Thank you,
Mari
Hi! This looks amazing! Would this same recipe work for cupcakes or should I make any adjustments?
Thanks!
My daughter chose this recipe for her 19th birthday cake. I made it on Tuesday. It is decadent, an absolutely spectacular recipe! This was my first time making a meringue based buttercream, devine!
Is the tablespoon an error or not? I want to make this cake this weekend, but I saw two people comment that, but nobody else. I am terrified 🙂
thanks!!
Michele, did you ever try this? I have the same question about whether or not it’s an error! Thanks!
How much baking powder should be used? There were comments about the cake exploding in the oven.
Such a beautiful job you always do. Can you point me in the right direction for you beautiful cake stand?
I was looking forward to seeing your technique in icing, so smooth. Would be curious to see how you did this. Very nicely presented.
I didn’t have much luck with this unfortunately! It may be because I used different sized pans than advised, or maybe the baking powder quantity is wrong – it does seem a lot. My cake sunk in the middle. They make delicious white chocolate brownies at least.
I’m going to use a reliable sponge recipe I have, one for dobos torte, and try making the rose water buttercream above to sandwich them together (instead of the conventional chcoolate one would normally use for dobos torte)
Made this yesterday. I had to cook the cake layers longer than indicated and the result was a little crisp around the outside edges, so they crumbled off. Cake was tasty but the white chocolate didn’t come through very much, especially with the yummy rose buttercream. (Not an expert at making buttercream yet but I think I might hold back some butter next time, too. It was quite soft!) I would definitely make again!
Did you have issues with the one tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon baking powder? Making this for a birthday this weekend and I don’t want to have to remake anything. Thanks for your help!
I was so pumped to make these for Valentine’s Day. I’ve had this recipe pinned for long so and the timing was perfect. However, I wish I had read the more recent comments in regards to the baking powder quantity. I tried making cupcakes and they blew up the oven like other bakers mentioned. The cake still takes delicious so I’m going to make cake pops instead.
Going to make this for mother’s day and was hoping Tessa or Carrie could clarify the baking powder mystery! Is it in fact 1 tbsp + 1/2 tsp? Or less? Thanks in advance!
Has the baking powder issue been resolved? So want to bake this soon. And can the whole egg be used instead of yolk only.