Rose Pound Cake

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F). Grease and line a pound cake mold with parchment paper.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat the unsalted butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the granulated sugar and continue beating until the mixture becomes light and fluffy (another 2-3 minutes).
• Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, beat them lightly, and measure out 80g. Gradually add the beaten eggs to the butter-sugar mixture in three parts, mixing well after each addition.
• Sift the cake flour (or the all-purpose flour + cornstarch) and baking powder together. Gently fold the sifted dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula.
• Add the warm milk and rose jam to the batter and stir until well combined. If you’re using food coloring, add a few drops of red food coloring to achieve a light pink hue and mix until evenly distributed.
• Divide the batter into two portions. Leave about two-thirds of the batter as it is (light pink). Add more red food coloring to the remaining one-third of the batter to create a deeper, darker pink color.
• Transfer both the light and dark pink batters into separate piping bags (or use spoons if you don’t have piping bags). In your prepared pound cake mold, alternate spooning or piping layers of light and dark batter to create a marbled effect.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before removing it.
• In a medium tray or plate, mix together 1/2 cup of sugar syrup and 2 tbsp of rose water. Once the pound cake has cooled slightly, place it into the tray allowing the cake to absorb the syrup on all sides. This adds extra moisture and a beautiful rose fragrance to the cake.