A druid friend of mine shared this recipe with me, it was popular amongst their grove to make these and share with their friends and family as a sign of love and friendship. So here, I would like to share this sweet recipe with you, adventurer! These mini cakes combine flavors of rose and white chocolate, all while being the perfect size for a quick bite when you come back from a long day of travel.
Once boiling, set the heat to low and immediately add the dried roses
Let the roses steep for 15 minutes
Strain the liquid into a container that can be tightly sealed (I used a mason jar) and, once cooled, store it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Buttercream Frosting
In a medium mixing bowl, add the softened butter and powdered sugar. Using an electric mixer, mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds, then add the rose water and white chocolate. Scrape the sides of the bowl, and then mix for another 30 seconds until the frosting is fluffy and the rose water and chocolate is fully incorporated.
If the icing is still crumbly, add a splash of rose water (about 1 teaspoon at a time) and mix until fully incorporated. If the icing is too liquidy, add more powdered sugar.
Set the frosting aside for later
Cake
Preheat oven to 350F (177C)
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
Combine the sugar, rose water, and butter in a large bowl. Mix with an electric mixer until fully combined, about 2 minutes
Add in the egg and mix again, about 30 seconds.
Add half of the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until combined. Add in the buttermilk and mix, then add in the rest of the flour mixure and mix until fully combined, about 2 minutes.
Add the batter to your pan of choice. We opted for a rose shaped mini-cake/cupcake pan. For cupcakes/mini cakes, fill the cups, leaving 1/4" at the top. For mini cakes/bundt cake pans, fill it no more than 3/4 of the way to the top.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once fully cooled, remove the cakes from the pan
Add the frosting to the tops of the cakes, and garnish the tops with the extra rose petals. If you have strawberries, slice them thinly and place around the cakes.
Notes
I used a combination of dried Siberian Roses and dried Red Rose Petals. Any will work, I suggest looking for dried roses used in teas, or make sure the packaging or seller says the roses are edible, food-grade roses.