Almond Cake with Rose Water Syrup

Almond cake with rose water syrup

It was one of those days where everything went like clockwork, guests were happily chatting away and I just popped back in the kitchen to check on the cake! And to my horror the oven had stopped working… What to do? Apparently something called the ‘Element’ a wire which heats up the oven stopped working.

Now when you come over to mine for any meal there is always dessert, that’s just the way I am, how can there be no dessert! So I whisked the unbaked cake out of the oven and covered it with tin foil, placed a few holes in the foil and put it in a bowl of water and steamed it. 🙂 And oh my goodness, after 20 minutes of steaming this cake was awesome.

A light and fluffy heavenly cake, one that I’m definitely going to make again in exactly the same way.

Ingredients

1 cup / 250ml ground almonds

1/4 cup / 60ml Rapeseed oil

1/4 cup / 60ml white caster sugar

3 medium sized eggs (room temperature)

1 tsp rose petals (dried)

For the syrup:

1/2 cup / 120ml white granulated sugar

1/2 cup / 120ml cold water

2 tsp rose water

For the garnish:

1 tbsp pistachio slivers

1/2 tsp rose petals (dried)

1 tsp confectioners sugar

Pinch of ground cardamom

Steam for 20 mins on medium / high heat.

Method

Step 1

• Break the three eggs in a bowl and add the oil and caster sugar to it.

• Whisk the eggs, oil and caster sugar together until it doubles in size and becomes very pale in colour.

• Add the ground almonds and dried rose petals to the mixture.

Note: do not use the electric whisk at this stage.

Step 2

• With a spatula or spoon gently fold the ground almonds and rose petals in, trying to maintain as much of the air pockets already built into the eggs.

Step 3

• Grease your cake tin, (I used a 8.5″(width) by 2.5″ (depth) tin) or use baking parchment.

• Pour the cake mix into the tin.

• Cover the top of the tin with tin foil.

• Prick the foil to allow the steam to escape.

Step 4

• Fill a cooking pot a quarter full of water.

• Place on a medium heat.

• Place a ramekin upside down in the middle and place the cake tin on top.

Note: This is in order for the cake not to touch the base of the pot and burn.

• Cover the top of your bowl with a lid slightly tilted to allow some of the steam to escape. In my case I used tin foil to cover my pot and pricked the foil for the steam to escape.

Step 5

• Steam for 20 to 25 minutes.

• Take the cake tin out of the hot water and immediately remove the tin foil covering the cake. Note: If you don’t do this your cake will become soggy.

• Once slightly cool remove the cake from the tin and pour / drizzle the sugar over the cake.

For the sugar syrup

• Pour the granulated sugar, water and rose water into a small saucepan.

• Place on medium heat and allow the mixture to turn into a syrup so as when you test the stickiness it should be as sticky as runny honey.

For the garnish

• Place the pistachio slivers, cardamom and dried rose petals in a bowl. Give them a gentle mix.

• Once the sugar syrup has been poured over the cake sprinkle the pistachio garnish over the cake.

• Put the confectioners sugar in a sieve and sieve it over the cake, and voila your cake is ready 🙂

Now sit down, put your feet up and indulge yourself or others!