Lunar New Year is a special time in Hong Kong, with every decoration and food item invoking hope and optimism. I love the stories, symbolism and meaning behind each ingredient, colour and dish. The Chinese believe that what we eat during Chinese New Year plays an important role in securing health and wealth for the year ahead. For example, dishes like nin gou (sweet rice cake) and ho see fatt choi (braised oysters with sea moss) are essential to ensure continued prosperity and good fortune. But what about blessings from flowers, fruits and exotic spices in the form of a celebration cake?
I first created my twist of the traditional Victoria sponge for my late friend Helen as a tribute to her joyful and generous nature, love for feminine colours (pink and purple!) and passion for middle eastern flavours. This resulted in my rose, cardamom and raspberry Victoria sponge frosted with pink rose-scented buttercream and adorned with rose petals, a cake literally layered with an abundance of meaning and good tidings.
In Chinese culture, pink is an auspicious colour often seen as a variation of red, thus bringing luck and happiness. Roses also symbolise eternal spring, a perfect way to convey wishes of longevity to your loved ones. Meanwhile, in Chinese medicine, cardamom is acknowledged as a symbol of health and well-being. In my view, when used in cooking, cardamom imparts a most delightful and delicate perfume that will elevate any dish. Unsurprisingly, it is known as the “Queen of Spices” in India. And finally, the raspberry with its beautiful jewel tone of red. In many cultures, the raspberry symbolizes love and kindness. One fun fact is that the raspberry is said to have been discovered by the Greek gods and is linked to fertility! So with that, this cake presents a perfect offering for the upcoming festivities to usher in both the wood dragon year and Valentine’s Day!
My recipe is based on the classic Victoria sponge. To retain the familiarity of this much-loved cake, I have filled the cake with vanilla-flavoured whipped cream, raspberry jam and fresh raspberries. I added a hint of Middle Eastern exotica by including cardamom in the sponge mixture, and further infused rose and cardamom flavours by way of a syrup brushed over the baked sponges. The buttercream frosting is a romantic shade of baby pink scented with rose water. Dried rose petals and freeze-dried raspberry garnish the cake for that final flourish. I hope you will enjoy making this cake for your family and loved ones.
Sponge:
225 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
200 g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
225 g self-raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 pinch salt
For the freshest and tenderest of cakes, you can bake the sponges in the morning so they cool completely by the afternoon. Otherwise, making the sponges the night before is absolutely fine, which I often do for better time management.
Beat butter, sugar and vanilla essence until creamy and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Sift in dry ingredients, gently mix for another 1 or 2 minutes. Divide into two greased and lined 8 inch pans and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 C for 20 minutes or until risen and golden brown. Check after 15 minutes as ovens may vary. Once done, remove from the oven and let the cakes sit in the tin for about 2 minutes, then take the cakes out of the tin and place them on a wire rack to cool while you make the syrup.
Cardamom rose syrup (this is optional - it adds another layer of subtle flavour to the cake):
80 ml water
80 gm caster sugar
4 green cardamom pods, crushed
1 teaspoon rose water
Heat the water with the sugar and cardamom pods in a saucepan. Simmer gently for around 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the rose water. Cool the syrup for 5 to 10 minutes, it will start to thicken slightly. Lightly brush the cakes with the syrup. Leave the cakes until completely cool.
Cream and jam filling:
200 ml double cream (note – this must be double cream, single cream does not have enough body to hold the layers together)
1 teaspoon icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry jam
80g raspberries (optional)
Whip the cream, icing sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks form. You can keep this in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the cake - see “Assembling the cake” below.
Rose buttercream frosting:
225 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
320 g icing sugar
50 ml double cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon rosewater
1 pinch salt
Red food dye
Decorations - dried rose petals, freeze dried raspberry
Beat the butter and icing sugar until pale and creamy, then beat in the vanilla essence, rosewater and salt. Add the double cream and whip until the buttercream has a spreading consistency. Mix in your red food colouring, adding one drop at a time to achieve the desired shade of pink - you need to be careful as different brands of food dye will have varying strengths.
Assembling the cake:
Once the sponges have completely cooled, organise the sponges for assembly with one sponge upside down so that the layers sit together evenly.
On the upside down layer, gently spread 3 tablespoons of jam onto the sponge. Lay the raspberries over the jam. Dot the whipped cream over the jam and spread evenly.
Place the second sponge on top and gently press down to remove any air bubbles to glue the layers together. This layer should be the right side up with the slightly domed surface on top.
You can now frost the cake. As an amateur baker with limited equipment, I usually use a metal spatula or flat knife to decorate my cakes. I suggest that you use half of the buttercream for the sides of the cake and the other half for the top of the cake. Smooth the edges as much as you can. Alternatively, use a fork to create a ridged pattern for a more rustic look. Buttercream is very forgiving and will look and taste good regardless! Sprinkle the top and sides with rose petals and dried raspberry.
For a more festive look:
If you would like to attempt more layers (as in the photos), carefully split each sponge into 2 equal layers (total of 4 layers) and divide your buttercream frosting into 4 portions.
Starting with your first sponge layer, evenly spread one portion of buttercream onto the first layer. Place the second layer of sponge on top. Follow step #2 above for the jam and whipped cream filling.
Place the third sponge layer on top and gently press down to remove any air pockets. Repeat with another portion of buttercream. Place the fourth and last sponge layer on top.
To frost the cake, repeat step#4 with the remaining buttercream. As a rule of thumb, one portion should be used for the sides of the cake and the last portion for the top.
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