
Almond Cake with Rose Water Syrup
Updated: Jun 6, 2021
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!
