So with this rosewater cake, I didn’t want to make some super crazy, multilayered work of art. I wanted to make a cake that follows basic principles but at the same time, is still very well baked. So if you are looking for a cake that is quick, stress-free, not complicated but regardless, a cake that everyone will still love. I highly recommend this recipe.
This is the first time I have ever used rosewater in a recipe. It has a beautiful subtle flavour and fragrance to it. And I couldn’t stop smelling it while I was preparing this recipe. The cake pairs really nicely with the zingy citrusy buttercream. Both are very light and have a wonderful flavour. Just a quick note about the buttercream, I would always just chuck everything in a large bowl, and then beat all together until I get buttercream frosting.
But now I have learned to take a few extra steps that I have ignored for a long time when seeing other people make it. The most important step I believe is creaming the butter first before adding the icing sugar. This lightens up the butter, makes it softer, fluffier and will end up making the buttercream more malleable. And I realised that I was always using more butter and icing sugar than I actually needed. However, when you cream the butter first and take your time to beat the buttercream for a longer period of time, the mixture will expand since you are getting more air into it.
By the way, what do you guys think of the videos? They are slowly getting better, but I like making them because sometimes it can be difficult to explain every detail clearly for the reader to understand. And for me, showing is always better than telling.
Thank you for taking the time to check out this post. I really hope you like this rosewater cake if you choose to make it. Have a super awesome day. Next recipe will be couscous filled chicken Kiev so get pumped for it!

Rosewater Cake with Citrus Butter Cream
Ingredients
Cake:
- 225 g of plain flour sifted
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 115 g of caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 lime zested
- 1 lemon zested
- 115 mls of milk
- 115 g of yoghurt
- 2 large eggs
- 115 g butter melted have some extra butter for greasing the cake tin.
- 2 teaspoons of rosewater
- Slices of lemon and lime for garnish
Citrus Butter Cream:
- 125 g of unsalted butter softened
- 250 g of icing sugar sifted
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- A few drops of rosewater
Instructions
Cake
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Pre-heat your oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350 degrees F).
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Next, grease the inside of your cake tin with your EXTRA butter. Then line the sides and the bottom with baking paper.
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Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lime zest in a large bowl.
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In another bowl, whisk the milk, yoghurt, eggs, melted butter and rosewater together until well combined.
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Transfer the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and whisk until well combined, ensuring that there are no lumps (only whisk until well combined, don't keep whisking after that).
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Bake in your pre-heated oven for 45 minutes. One cooked, take out of the oven and set aside.
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Once the cake tin has cooled enough to not burn you, remove the cake from the tin, then place on a cooling rack.
Citrus Butter Cream
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Beat the butter for 5 minutes with an electric beater until pale.
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Next, add half of your icing sugar, beat for a few minutes. Then add the other half of your icing sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.
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Add your lime juice, lemon juice and rosewater. Then beat one last time for 2-3 minutes.
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If you feel like your buttercream is too soft, you can put it in the fridge for a couple of minutes.
Assembly
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Once your cake is completely cooled (which is very important because a warm cake will melt the butter cream), put it on the plate or platter that you want to serve it on.
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Dollop your butter cream over the top of your cake, then use a spatula or a butter knife to evenly spread the butter cream all over the cake. I find that dipping my spatula or knife in a glass of cold water every so often helps when icing the cake.
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Finally, garnish with the slices of lemon and lime, then serve.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Remember, to make the buttercream lighter and fluffier, cream the butter by itself first before adding the icing sugar. And don't rush the process.
Looks and sounds yummy Nick!
Thanks so much Yvette! (:
The cake looks fantastic and I love the video as well. Well captured! Especially the flour seiving part??
Regards
Ana
Thanks friend! Greatly appreciated. Have a lovely day (:
Great work and well done! It looks perfect .
Thanks so much! Have a great day (:
This looks amazing!! Incorporating the rose water is such a nice touch, too. Bravo!
Thanks Alicia! It has a really nice fragrance and flavour (:
I just made my own rosewater the other day and was thinking about using it in a recipe! Maybe I will try and ‘veganize’ (new verb? :D) this recipe.
Oh cool!! Never thought about making my own rosewater. Let me know how it goes if you end up using it for this recipe (:
This cake looks lovely!
Thank you so much!! Have a splendid day!!
wow…..such a great combination and #delish
Thank so much!! (:
Ur wlcm……..such a great blog….
That looks and sounds wonderfully delicious! Ingredients like rose water and lavender seem risky and they do require just the right amount so that you don’t end up with a medicinal or perfumy taste. It sounds like you had just the right amount. Nice pairing with the citrus buttercream. Yum!
Yes you certainly have to be careful with it haha, Thanks so much for your comment Victoria (:
Oh wow, that is gorgeous! I’ve never had rosewater in anything before. I’m intrigued!
I love that you used rosewater in this cake!
Looks and sounds great, I love the flavor of rosewater and can imagine the citrus buttercream goes really well too.
Here I was looking for salad recipes when I find THIS GLORIOUS MAGICAL cake & butter cream… I guess the universe is telling me something! LOL! I am obsessed with citrus in everything this summer, and have got to try this buttercream.. wow. Thank you!
It worked really nicely in this cake! (:
Thanks! It has a nice subtle flavour! (:
Thank you so much Caroline! The citrus buttercream was amazing! (:
Wow this comment lit me up Katie!! Thank you!! I am a citrus fanatic too!!