We Should Cocoa ~ Rose Scented Indulgent Chocolate Cake

When Choclette announced that this month's We Should Cocoa Challenge was to use rose alongside chocolate, I will admit to being slightly perplexed.  Rose isn't an ingredient I am use to baking with and after quite a bit some consultation with my ever expanding stash of recipes nothing really came up trumps for me and inspiration was sparse to say the least!  I was an unhappy little teapot ;0(


Then Mr JS rode in to my rescue ... without even knowing it!  He has returned from Australia for a short stay and comes to at dinner with Hubby and I once a week.  It was during this weeks meal that he asked me if I could make a chocolate birthday cake for another one of our friend's (the birthday bash being last night ... slightly worse for wear today!)


It was a eureka moment for me.  I knew the exact cake to bake, and with a small amount of tweaking I could get it to fit in with this month's theme, resulting in a happy little teapot once more ;0)

Rose Scented Indulgent Chocolate Cake
175g SR flour, sifted
3 tbsp 70% cocoa powder
1 tsp rose water
175g butter, completely softened, plus extra for lining the tin
175g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1-2 tbsp milk
100g 70% dark chocolate, melted and cooled
Icing
500ml double cream
500g milk chocolate, chopped
Rose Scented Mascarpone Filling
500g mascarpone
2 tsp icing sugar
1-2 tsp rose water, depending on taste


Make the icing first (it takes a while to cool and thicken).  Put the chocolate into a bowl.  Pour the cream into a pan and heat until simmering.  Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate.  Stir until the mixture is smooth.  Cool, then chill until really thick but spreadable.


Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C.  Butter and base line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins with baking parchment.  Take 3 tbsp flour from the full flour amount and put them back in the flour bag - the cocoa powder will make up the difference.


Put all the cake ingredients except the chocolate in a large bowl.  Beat them together with an electric whisk (or whizz in a food processor) until you have a creamy mixture, then fold in the melted chocolate.  Add a little more milk if the mix is too stiff - it should fall easily from a spoon.


Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and level.  Bake on the same shelf in the oven for 20-25 mins or until the sponge springs back when pressed.  Cool for 5 mins, turn out onto a wire rack, peel off the paper and cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling make the filling.  Mix together the mascarpone, icing sugar and rose water in a bowl until well combined and smooth.  When the cakes are cool sandwich the layers together with the rose scented mascarpone and then with some of the chocolate icing.  Use the rest of the chocolate icing to spread over the rest of the cake in a nice thick layer.


Serves 10
Adapted from a recipe in Olive Magazine, April 11

I should have decorated the cake some crystallised rose petals of course, but I didn't have any so white chocolate stars it had to be!  Its a very much a home-made looking cake but it didn't detract from the taste one little bit.  Purely indulgent with every mouthful!  If I had one criticism, its that the rose maybe wasn't as strong as I thought it would have been.  I did err on the side of caution with the amounts of rose water added because I didn't want the cake to end up tasting like a bar of soap!  I would add more next time, both to the cake and the mascarpone.  On the up side, after the small mishap of the chocolate icing not really firming up last time, I gave the mixture a good whip before letting it set in the fridge overnight which seems to be the trick, it was lovely and thick and smooth and everyone seemed to enjoy their slice!