Triple Berry & Rose Cake

• Ingredients
• • • For the cake
    • 200g salted butter, softened
    • 200g caster sugar
    • 4 free-range eggs
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 200g almond flour
    • 50g plain flour
    • Zest and juice of one lemon
    • 1 tbsp rose water
    • 100g fresh or frozen strawberries, green parts removed and halved
    • 60g fresh or frozen blueberries
    • 60g fresh or frozen raspberries
  • • For the icing
    • 150g salted butter, softened
    • 250g icing sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • 100g cream cheese
    • 1 tsp rose water
    • ⅓ cup each of crushed freeze-dried raspberries, strawberries and blueberries (optional)
  • • For the decoration
    • 2 tbsp strawberry purée (optional, but if making simply blend together 100g cooked strawberries and 2 tbsp icing sugar in a food processor)
    • Fresh or dried rose petals (optional)

• Cake
• Food
• Recipe

Where there’s cake involved, what’s not to get excited about?! And, this is definitely a cake to jump up and down about.

Berries, cream cheese and rose petals, this decadent delight is both a feast for the eyes and the belly. Go on, you deserve it!

How to cake it – we mean make it!

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C on fan bake.
2. Line 2 x 22cm / 9″ cake tins with baking paper.
3. To make the cake, in your electric mixer bowl cream the butter and sugar until pale, light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add in the vanilla.
5. Gradually fold in the almond flour and flour, and mix until just combined. Take care not to over mix.
6. Finally, fold through the lemon zest and juice and rose water.
7. Evenly divide the batters between the two cake tins and spread out to the sides. Dot in the berries and press down lightly.
8. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. The cake is ready when golden in colour, springy to the touch, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
9. Allow the cakes to cool in their tins for approximately 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
10. Meanwhile, make the icing. In your electric mixer bowl, beat the butter and icing sugar on high until seriously light and fluffy.
11. Gradually add the cream cheese, followed by the vanilla and rose water. The icing should be smooth, creamy and thick.
12. Fold in the crushed freeze-dried berries.
13. Once the cake is completely cool, spread approximately a third of the icing onto one layer and spread the other two thirds directly on top. Drizzle over the strawberry purée if using and decorate with fresh flowers – or whatever you have on hand!