This sweet and fragrant Honey Rose Cake is infused with rose water and made with a blend of almond flour, cardamom, and a dash of cinnamon. It’s topped with a thick glaze, sliced almonds, and edible pink rose petals.
This recipe was inspired by the famous Persian Love Cake. The main difference here is that this cake is sweetened with honey and there are no pistachios on top (although, you can add them if you like).
The combination of cardamom and cinnamon mixed with honey and rose water makes for an explosion of flavor! The rose is just fragrant enough to have a pleasant taste without overwhelming the cake and tasting too perfume-y.
It goes without saying that this Honey Rose Cake is the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and spring. We highly recommend enjoying it with a cappuccino! If you like floral desserts, you can also try our Gluten-Free Lavender Lemon Cake.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Texture: The oils from the almond flour along with the honey make the cake super moist and give it a wonderfully soft and delicate crumb.
- Pairs Well with Coffee or Tea: The sweetness of the cake goes perfectly with an unsweetened cappuccino or English breakfast tea.
- Sweetened with Honey: While the glaze does have powdered sugar in it, the cake itself is completely sweetened with honey!
Ingredient Notes
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you’ll find notes on why we chose certain ingredients as well as any substitutions.
- All-Purpose Flour: Be sure to use a digital scale when measuring.
- Almond Flour: This adds a delicate texture to the cake.
- Ground Cardamom + Cinnamon: We love using a combination of both to complement the flavor of the rose water.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda: To help the cake rise.
- Unsalted Butter: Make sure it’s softened before using.
- Honey: This recipe calls for quite a bit of honey since the cake is completely sweetened with it. There’s also a couple teaspoons in the glaze.
- Eggs: Set them out 1-2 hours beforehand or place them in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Greek Yogurt: This adds extra moisture to the cake.
- Rose Water: Choosing the right one can make or break your cake since some are more potent than others. Cortas rose water is the gold standard and it’s what we use in this recipe.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: You’ll need 1 teaspoon.
- Powdered Sugar: To make the base of the glaze.
- Milk: This helps to thin out the glaze.
- Sliced Almonds: Just enough to sprinkle on top.
- Dried Rose Petals: We use Suncore’s edible rose petals for the cake topping.
Kitchen Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Oven Thermometer
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Hand Mixer
- Parchment Paper
- 9-inch Round Cake Pan
- Small Offset Spatula
Step-by-Step Instructions
This section provides a general overview as well as any pictures to guide you through the recipe. The full detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
STEP 1: Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and cinnamon.
STEP 2: Cream the butter and honey. Place the unsalted butter and honey in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer on medium-high for 3 minutes until pale and creamy.
STEP 3: Add the wet and dry ingredients. Mix the eggs in one at a time then add in the Greek yogurt, rose water, and vanilla. It will look curdled at this stage but that’s ok. Then sift the dry ingredients into the bowl and fold until just combined.
STEP 4: Bake. Transfer the batter to a 9-inch round cake pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil then bake for an additional 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
STEP 5: Make the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, honey, rose water, and milk until thick and drizzly.
STEP 6: Decorate the cake. Flip the cooled cake over onto a serving plate and pour over the glaze. Spread it over the top using a small offset spatula. Top with sliced almonds and dried rose petals.
Expert Tips
- DO NOT use rose water extract. Popular brands like Nielsen Massey sell “rose water”, but beware as it’s more of a concentrated extract. A little goes a VERY long way with those, so be sure to get a proper rose water like this one.
- Sift the dry ingredients. This gets rids of any lumps in the flours, giving the cake a more even crumb.
- Don’t skip out on the dried rose petals. While the cake and glaze have rose water in them, the petals on top really help to tie everything together and amplify the rose element of the cake.
FAQ
The cake should last 3 days when covered at room temperature or 4-5 days in the fridge. You can cover it with a cloche or store it in an airtight container. It’s best at room temperature, so we recommend taking it out of the fridge at least 1 hour before serving.
We haven’t tried it with gluten-free flour, but Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour is usually a good substitute for all-purpose flour.
Baking in Grams
All of our baking recipes are carefully tested using grams so that you get a beautiful and delicious baked good every time. While we provide cup measurements, we can’t guarantee that they’ll produce good results. There’s more room for error when using cups, and how you pack your ingredients can make a significant difference. This is why we recommend measuring by weight so you’re guaranteed for success in the kitchen! All you need is a kitchen scale and you’re good to go!
If you tried this recipe, let us know how it turned out for you! Leave a star rating and review below and tag us on Instagram @fancifuleats so we can see your amazing kitchen creations!
📖 Recipe
Honey Rose Cake
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- Electric Hand Mixer
- 1 9×2-inch (23×5 cm) Round Cake Pan
Ingredients
Honey Rose Cake:
- 120 g (1 cup) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 135 g (1 ½ cups) almond flour spooned and leveled
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 226 g (1 cup) unsalted butter softened
- 260 g (¾ cup) honey
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 60 g (¼ cups) plain full-fat Greek yogurt room temperature
- 2 tbsp rose water*
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Glaze:
- 150 g (1 ¼ cups) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp honey
- ½ tsp rose water
- 2 tbsp milk
- Sliced almonds for topping
- Edible dried rose petals for topping
Instructions
Honey Rose Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9×2 inch (23×5 cm) round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the flour, almond flour, cardamom, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter and honey on medium-high for 3 minutes until pale and creamy. Scrape down the bowl halfway through.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well in between each addition (the mixture will look curdled).
- Mix in the yogurt, rose water, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Sift the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and fold with a silicone spatula until just combined. It will look dry at first, but should come together after a minute or so. Don’t overmix.
- Bake for 30 minutes then loosely cover with a tent of foil. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a wire rack. Cool completely before adding the glaze (about 1 hour).
Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, honey, rose water, and milk. Mix until smooth and drizzly.
- Place the cooled cake right side up on a serving plate.
- Pour on the glaze then smooth out toward the edges with a small offset spatula.
- Top with sliced almonds and dried rose petals.
Notes
- Rose Water: Depending on the brand, the potency of different rose waters can vary significantly. We recommend using Cortas which is what we used here. Don’t use Nielsen Massey’s for this recipe. It’s extremely concentrated!
- Pan Size: This cake rises all the way to the top, so make sure your cake pan is 2 inches (5 cm) in height to avoid overflowing.
- Storing and Serving: The cake should last about 3 days at room temperature and 4-5 days in the fridge. If you’re storing it in the fridge, take it out at least 1 hour before serving. The colder the cake is the more dry and dense the crumb, so it’s best served at room temperature.
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