Cardamom Brown Sugar Cake with Fresh Cherries & Rose Cream

Jeremy had been out of town for over two weeks when he returned last Sunday, and by then I had run out of household chores to keep me occupied. Having cleaned every knob, vacuumed every corner, and weeded every garden plot, I was tired, lonely, and kind of depressed. So, I did what I knew would make both of us happy upon his return, I made a cake. I used this recipe from Betty Crocker as the base for the cake but added some cardamom (it tastes amazing in desserts!) and then layered in some rose whipped cream with slices of fresh black cherries. The result was a wonderfully rich cake with a light and fluffy floral frosting. While frosting the cake I kind of fell in love with the way the unfrosted sides looked, but I knew that the cake would taste better with more whipped cream pushed in the sides so I went ahead and iced the whole thing. However, if you really like the un-iced look too, you can just cut the recipe for the whipped cream in half so that you have enough only the frost the layers.

Click Here For Printable Recipe

Also, last week I held a giveaway in conjunction with the generous folks over at Teavivre who volunteered to giveaway not one, but two different tea sample sets! I also threw in two beautiful moon & stars tea strainers to help the winners brew their lovely new loose-leaf teas. And the two winners of the grand tea giveaway are.....

Elizabeth & Olivia

Congratulations, you two! I'll be getting in contact with you shortly about your prizes.

Ingredients:

Cardamom Brown Sugar Cake

12 Ounces Cherries, pitted and cut in half (except for two for a garnish)

4 Eggs

2 and 1/4 Cups Flour

1 and 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar, packed

1 Cup Butter, softened

3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

3/4 Cup Milk

2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

Rose Whipped Cream

2 Cups Cream

2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

1/2 to 1 Teaspoon Rose Water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and cardamom until blended. Set it aside. Cream together the brown and granulated sugars and the butter in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, until completely combined. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk until both and fully incorporated and a smooth batter forms.

Evenly distribute the batter between 2 well-greased and lightly floured 8-inch and 2 well-greased and lightly floured 5-inch cake pans. Place the pans in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the pans and allow it to cool. Meanwhile, beat the whipped cream and the desired amount of rose water (more rose water = stronger rose flavor) until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Cover and refrigerate until use.

Once the cake has completely cooled, ice the cake layers with the whipping cream and layer the halved cherries between each layer. You can also ice the outside of the cake with the whipped cream, or leave the sides bare. Garnish the top with the two remaining whole cherries. Serve immediately.