RASPBERRY ROSE CAKE

It was Christie's birthday this week, and I had the profound luck of her being in town to celebrate it with me. She was generous enough to cancel our Disneyland plans and instead decided on casual dinner and drinks. To repay her for letting me avoid 10 hours of screaming children and 100 degree heat after a night of helping my brother with his homework until 1 am (damn you, AP EURO!), I baked her a little cake. She turned me on to Mashti Malones and brought back rose water jellies from her trip to Greece for me, so she is entirely to blame for my recent obsession for lavender and rose in my food. Especially dessert. The raspberries are tart and bright, pairing beautifully with the subtle flavor of the rose water. After our night of sausages at Wurstkuche and drinks at the Varnish, this dessert plus tivo'd Project Runway was the perfect capper to a lovely night. Happy Birthday, Christie!




For the Cake

12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons rosewater
1/2 cup sour cream
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a standing mixer, mix the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg at a time, and the rosewater, until pale and a little frothy. Sift together all of the dry ingredients and in a separate cup, mix together the remaining wet ingredients and zest. Add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients alternatively, on low speed. For one large cake, pour into two 9 inch circular cake tins. For personal cakes, pour the batter into a greased sheet cake pan and bake for 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top. When the cake is baked through and slightly cooled, flip the cake onto a counter and using a 4 inch circular cookie cutter, cut circles out of the cake. You will use two layers per personal cake. Cool before frosting.

Brown Sugar Cream Cheese Frosting with Raspberries

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

1 cup raspberries, plus more for decoration

Directions:

Cream the cream cheese in an electric mixer until light and a little fluffy, add the butter, beating for 1-2 minutes, or until combined. Add the brown sugar, pinch of salt, raspberries, and vanilla extract, and beat until combined. Turn the mixer to low and add the powdered sugar and milk alternatively. Turn the mixer on a low speed so it doesn't blow out everywhere. Place the first layer of cake onto a plate or cake stand, and cover the top with one inch of frosting. Add the second layer, and starting from the top, spread the frosting outward and down. Top with raspberries rolled in superfine sugar. Enjoy!