Rose Petal Chocolate Cake Food

ROSE PETAL CHOCOLATE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/fan140C/gas 3. Grease and base line a 20cm round, deep cake tin with baking paper. Put the milk in a jug and add the vinegar – it will curdle. Melt the chocolate in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Stir until smooth.
• Add the butter and remaining cake ingredients plus the milk mixture to the melted chocolate. Beat until smooth, then tip into the tin. Bake for 1 1/4-1 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• Using a bread knife, halve the cake horizontally. Sprinkle the cut sides with sherry or Marsala, if using.
• Melt the chocolate and butter in a pan over a low heat. Stir until smooth, then remove from the heat. Cool for a few minutes, then beat in the cream. Set aside to thicken slightly.
• To decorate, use a quarter of the icing to sandwich the 2 cake halves together. Spread the remaining icing over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with rose flower or fondant petals to serve.

ENGLISH ROSE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Grease and line the base and sides of 3 x 20cm round loose-bottomed cake tins with baking parchment. Tip all the ingredients for the cake into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until well combined. Divide the mixture between the 3 cake tins and smooth the tops. Bake for 45 mins, swapping the tins halfway through so they cook evenly. Leave to cool for 10 mins in the tins, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the rose syrup, put the sugar in a pan with 100ml water and heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bubble for 1-2 mins, then remove from the heat. Add the rose water: start with 1 tsp and taste, as some varieties are much stronger than others - just be careful as the syrup will be really hot. Spoon half the syrup over the 3 sponges and set aside.
• Add 2 tbsp of the syrup to the raspberries and crush them with a fork. Push the raspberries through a sieve into a bowl and discard the seeds. Sift in the icing sugar and mix to a smooth icing. In a second bowl, add another 2 tbsp of the syrup and the vanilla to the cream and whisk until it holds soft peaks. Chill until needed.
• To assemble, place one cake, flat-side up, on a plate or cake stand, and top with half the cream and a third of the remaining raspberries (see tips, below). Sandwich another cake on top and add the remaining cream, another third of the raspberries, then the last cake. Smooth the raspberry icing over the top, letting it drizzle down the sides. To decorate, we used a mixture of rose petal pieces (available from cookshops or online), homemade crystallised rose petals (see step-by-step, above) and the reserved raspberries.

ROSE PETAL POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease and flour a bunt pan.
• Whip cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
• Add sugar and beat.
• Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition.
• Add rosewater and flour. Mix thoroughly. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake for 1 1/2 hours.

CHOCOLATE-BEET CAKES WITH CANDIED BEETS AND ROSE PETALS

Steps:

• To make the candied beets: Divide simple syrup evenly between three medium saucepans. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add each variety of beets to a different saucepan and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beets are translucent, about 1 hour. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
• Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or parchment paper. Place sugar in a shallow dish. Gently drain beets, taking care not to break them, and dredge in sugar. Transfer to baking sheet and place in a cold oven to dry overnight. Beets may be kept in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
• To make the cake: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Trim the tops from beets, leaving about 1 inch of the stems. Line a large piece of aluminum foil with a piece of parchment paper; make a bed of coarse salt in the center. Place beet on salt and tightly wrap foil to enclose. Transfer to oven and roast until beets are very tender, about 1 hour.
• When beets are cool enough to handle, peel and cut into large pieces. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor; process until very smooth. Strain and measure out 1/2 cup for the cake; reserve remaining beet puree for the sauce.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-9-inch square baking pan; coat with sugar, tapping out excess, and set aside.
• Sift together flour, baking soda, and 1/8 teaspoon salt onto a piece of parchment paper; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together sugar, egg, and oil on medium-high speed until pale and light. Beat in vanilla and slowly add flour mixture; beat until well combined. Add chocolate and beat until well combined. Add 1/2 cup beet puree and beat until well combined.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and rap on the work surface to remove air bubbles. Transfer to oven and bake, rotating pan after 10 minutes of baking, until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes total. Let cool completely before removing from pan.
• To make the raspberry-beet sauce: Place the raspberries in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Strain, discarding solids, and measure out 1 cup of puree.
• Place 1 cup raspberry puree in a medium saucepan along with 1/4 cup reserved beet puree and vanilla bean and seeds. Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
• In a small bowl, mix together sugar and apple pectin; add to saucepan and return to a boil. Strain sauce into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Transfer to refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.
• To serve: Using a 3 1/2-inch heart-shaped cutter, cut out six heart shapes from the cake. Using a 1 1/2-inch heat-shaped cutter, cut out the center of each 3 1/2-inch heart. Dust large hearts with confectioners' sugar; place one on each of six plates. Fill the center of each heart with raspberry-beet sauce and drizzle some of the sauce on the plate. Lean the smaller heart against the larger heart.
• Using a soup spoon, scoop up a mounded spoonful of vanilla whipped cream; slide second soup spoon on top of first, with spoons pointing in opposite directions. Spoon whipped cream back and forth a few times, scraping it into a small, neat egg shape. Place on one of the plates. Repeat process five times until each plate has a scoop of whipped cream. Crush a rose petal over each plate and serve immediately.