Rose petal heart cake recipe

Details

• Cuisine: British
• Recipe Type: Cake
• Difficulty: Hard
• Preparation Time: 150 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Step-by-step

1. To make the crystallised flowers: line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Next, place the egg white in a bowl and the sugar in another. Hold the flower, petal or leaf at the base and paint with egg, ensuring you cover every fold. Gently sprinkle on the sugar, again making sure every surface is covered, then shake off the excess.
3. If crystallising whole roses, push a fine florists' wire through the base of the bloom, then hook the wire over a tall glass. Leave overnight in a dry, warm place. The flower will dry while hanging.
4. Lay petals or leaves on the lined sheet and leave overnight in a dry, warm place (an airing cupboard is ideal). They will harden in a few hours, becoming brittle. Store in an airtight container, lined and interleaved with baking parchment. They are very fragile, so only make a couple of layers.
5. Next, make the chocolate curls. Place a small heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the white chocolate to the bowl and heat until it melts, stirring only very occasionally. Pour it onto a plastic board, or a piece of marble, and spread out with a palette knife. Allow to set; a short spell in the refrigerator will help.
6. Run a sharp fine knife at a 45-degree angle across the chocolate (or use a vegetable peeler) and it will curl. Too cold and it won’t work; too soft and it will need 15 minutes or so back in the refrigerator. You’ll have to experiment.
7. To make the cake, preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 170°C/gas mark 4. Butter the tin very well, then line with baking parchment.
8. Deseed the cardamom pods: split them with the point of a knife, empty out the little seeds and grind them to a powder in a pestle and mortar. There may be a few pieces of husk mixed in, so sift the cardamom powder together with the flour to remove them.
9. Place the chocolate in a food processor with half the sugar. Process until as fine as possible. Take 2 tbsp hot water - not boiling water or the chocolate will seize - and leave it until you can just dip in your finger.
10. Dribble it into the chocolate, processing until most has melted. Add the remaining sugar and the butter, cut into knobs, and process well. Add the eggs, flour and vanilla and mix again. Don’t worry if there are tiny pieces of chocolate left in the batter.
11. Pour into the tin and bake for 25–30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Rest in the tin for a few minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack, removing the papers. Leave until absolutely cold.
12. Meanwhile, make the ganache. Place the chocolate in a bowl and, in a pan, bring the cream and rosewater to the boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate, leave it for a few seconds, then gently stir until smooth. Leave until cold, chill slightly, then whisk until it thickens.
13. Split the cake in half and invert so the flat base forms the top. Fill with the ganache and the fresh raspberries, and top with the second layer of cake.
14. Place the icing sugar in a small bowl and add 2-2½ tbsp rosewater gradually until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour it over the cake and allow to drizzle down the sides.
15. Scatter the cake with the chocolate curls, then with the rose petals.