During  childhood/growing up years I hardly got a chance to have cake-cutting as an option for birthdays. Back then birthday celebrations were more about having a big vegetarian spread for lunch called Sadya, which normally ends with another traditional dessert – payasam (sweet pudding). Those traditions had its own charm, but now with change of times cakes form the centre piece for birthday celebrations and now with a 7-year old at home, it’s a must and her right to cut the cake, irrespective of who’s birthday it’s in the family 🙂 .

Since this was for my birthday, I got to make it in the way I want – a beautiful Rosette cake with rose flavour and  Swiss meringue butter-cream.

You need –

• All purpose flour – 300 grams
• Baking powder – 1 teaspoon
• Caster sugar – 225 grams
• Butter – 225 grams
• Eggs – 4 @room temperature
• Milk – 2 tablespoons
• Rose flavour – ½ teaspoon
• Rose food color – few drops (I used wilton)

How to –

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease two 6 inches round cake tins and line the base with a baking sheet. Sift the flour, baking powder and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until light and pale. Beat in the eggs one at a time and beat till light n fluffy. Stir in the rose flovor.

Fold in the flour, milk and mix gently till everything is well combined. Make sure not to over mix the batter else they will not be light and fluffy when you bake. Divide the batter equally into two bowls and add few drops of the rose color to each bowls get 2 different tones (I used wilton) and gently mix.

Spread the mixture into the prepared cake tins and bake for 30-35 minutes or till the toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. When the cakes are cooled completely, frost the cakes as desired.

For the Swiss meringue buttercream please find the recipe here. How to assemble the cake and decorate it please see this cake recipe.