Rose Cake

4.92 from 89 rating

This rose cake recipe makes a soft, delicate floral layer cake with rose buttercream. Elegant, fragrant, and perfect for birthdays or spring parties.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Additional Time20

Total Time1 10

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: American

Servings: 24

Calories: 577kcal

Author: Chelsey White

Ingredients

Rose Cake Layers

3 cups all-purpose flour 375g
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar 500g
2 1/2 tsp baking powder 10g
1 tsp fine salt 6g
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 226g
1 cup carton egg whites, room temperature, or about 7 egg whites 240g
1 1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature 360g
2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil 30g
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 10g
2 tsp rose water 10g
pink or red gel food coloring if desired

Rose Buttercream Frosting

1 cup pasteurized egg whites, room temperature 240g
7 cups powdered sugar 904g
3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 678g
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 15g
1 tsp rose water 5g
1/2 tsp fine salt 3g

Instructions

Rose Cake Batter

Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Line four 7-inch pans, or three 8-inch round pans with parchment rounds, and grease with non-stick cooking spray.
Mix together all dry ingredients (3 cups (375g) flour, 2 1/2 cups (500g) granulated sugar, 2 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1 tsp fine salt) in a stand mixer with a paddle until fully combined.
Mix in 1 cup of room-temperature butter slowly into the dry mix, on a low speed. Continue to mix until no large chunks of butter remain, and the mixture becomes crumbly.
Pour in 1 cup (240g) of egg whites, and mix on low until just incorporated. Mix in 1 1/2 cups (360g) of whole milk in two installments, on a low speed.
Add in 2 Tbsp oil, 2 tsp vanilla extract, and 2 tsp rose water. Mix at a low speed until fully incorporated.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, then beat on low speed for about 15 seconds (the key is to mix until the ingredients are JUST incorporated, so that the batter isn't overmixed).
If desired, add a couple of drops of pink or red gel food coloring. Mix the color in by hand using a rubber spatula, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl partway through. Mix until the batter is evenly colored.
Divide batter evenly between the prepared cake pans (about 450 grams per pan if you use 4 pans, or 600g if you use three pans). Bake for 34-36 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let the pans cool for 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula around the perimeter of the pan to separate the cake from the pan.
Place cake layers into the freezer for 45 minutes to accelerate the cooling process. Once the layers are fully cooled, carefully flip the pans and remove the layers from the pans. Use a serrated knife to level the tops of the layers.

Rose Water Buttercream Frosting

While the cake layers bake and cool, make the rose water buttercream frosting.
Place 1 cup of room-temperature pasteurized egg whites and 7 cups of powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you plan to make it with a hand mixer). Mix on a low speed to combine.
Once all the powdered sugar has been incorporated, mix on high with a whisk attachment for 5-10 minutes until the meringue has soft peaks. Sometimes the egg whites will be able to reach stiff peaks like in the picture above, but if you only get soft peaks, the frosting will still turn out great once you add the butter.
Swap the whisk attachment for a paddle attachment. This will help make your buttercream super smooth once it's fully made. Mix in 3 cups or 6 sticks of room temperature butter on a low speed, one at a time. Wait until each stick of butter has been fully mixed in before adding the next stick.
Once the butter is incorporated, mix on medium speed for an additional 5 minutes until the frosting looks fluffy. If the frosting breaks or becomes soupy once you add in the butter, don't worry! Just keep mixing, and it should come back together in 5-10 minutes. When in doubt, keep mixing. If the frosting still hasn't come back together at this point, please refer to my detailed troubleshooting guide in the post above.
Add 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract, 1 tsp of rose water, and 1/2 tsp of salt, and mix on a low speed until combined. Stir for a couple of additional minutes by hand with a rubber spatula to make the frosting silky smooth.

To Assemble The Cake

Stack and frost cake layers on a greaseproof board, using a dab of frosting to help stick the first cake layer to the board.
Add an even layer of buttercream between each cake layer. Spread a thin coat of frosting around the cake that fully covers the cake layers. Smooth using a bench scraper, then chill the cake in the fridge (10 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes) until the frosting is firm to the touch. I also love adding my raspberry cake filling between the cake layers, but this is optional.
Add a second, thicker layer of frosting to the cake, and smooth using a bench scraper. Then decorate as desired! If you want to decorate the cake with buttercream rosettes, I recommend checking out my buttercream rosette tutorial.

Video

Notes

One batch of cake batter makes about 1800 grams, so when I'm making a cake with four layers, I add 450 grams of batter into each pan.

Once the layers have fully cooled, I like to trim the caramelized bits from the sides of the layers using a serrated knife.

These cake layers can be made in advance!! Learn more about how far in advance they can be made, and how to properly wrap them in my post on how to make cake layers ahead of time.

Since this frosting will be used to decorate a cake, it is important to mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.

You can also stir the frosting in a bowl with a rubber spatula, pushing it from side to side, to get rid of any air bubbles. This will make it easier to get super smooth sides on your cake.

Nutrition