Rose and Honey Sponge Cake

This cake was inspired by an article on using honey in place of some of the sugar in cakes.  The honey gives a beautifully moist texture to the cake, without compromising its lightness - nothing's worse than a solid sponge cake!  It smelt divine when it came out of the oven - just like a rose garden in summer.  You could make it with a flour substitute.

I'm currently rehearsing the opera "The Merry Widow", with fabulous tunes and ridiculous dialogue in a range of improbable accents - think "Allo Allo" crossed with "Downton Abbey" and you are there...  So I wanted a frothy light cake to take to rehearsal, as singers are always starving, and the dancing girls will eat anything!   The remaining piece went home with the Ambassador's wife.

Rose and Honey Sponge Cake 

Rose and Honey Sponge Cake

4 large fresh eggs

8oz/225g sieved self raising flour (or a blend)

7oz/200g caster sugar

1floz/30g runny honey

8oz/225g buttery spread

1 heaped tsp baking powder

1tsp rose essence

Filling and topping:

10floz/230ml double cream

4oz/110g sieved icing sugar (approx.)

½ to 1tsp rose essence

Small quantity of water

Small fresh rose – for decoration

Preheat oven to 120 deg C.  Twist the petals off the rose and put them onto a plain baking tray into the oven for about 20 minutes or until dry and crisp. 

Line two 8” loose base sandwich tins with parchment (or spray with a “cake release” agent), and grease the sides.

In a food processor or Kenwood, blend the cake ingredients together and then beat until pale.   Turn up the oven to 180 deg C.  Divide the mixture between the tins and cook for 15-25 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven) until risen and golden brown.  To test, they should have come away from the edges slightly, and if you put a (heated) knife or skewer into the middle, it will come out clean.

Tip the cakes out of the tins onto a wire rack and leave to cool.  When cool, whip the cream and sandwich the cakes together.  Mix up the icing sugar with the rose essence and water until it is stiff enough not to run off the cake, but liquid enough to be smoothed over without pulling off crumbs as you spread it.   While the icing is still wet, scatter the rose petals artistically over the top.