Note: You can pick up rosewater from a local Mediterranean grocery store but you may also be able to find it on the international aisle of a regular grocery store or at a specialty grocery store.

Champagne Cake with Rose Buttercream

Champagne Cake

• 3 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups sweet champagne or prosecco/sparkling white wine*
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

*This cake has a distinct champagne flavor, so use a champagne that you like. Make sure you get a sweet champagne, as dry (brut) champagne will make the cake tangy. If you don’t want to use alcohol, try ginger ale or sparkling white grape juice. For a pink twist, try pink champagne or rosé.

Rose Buttercream

• 3 sticks butter, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon rosewater
• 1-4 tablespoons milk
  pink food coloring (optional)

Champagne Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray two 8-inch round cake pans (or three 6-inch pans) with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar.
4. Add egg whites one at a time and beat well after each addition.
5. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
6. Alternately add the flour mixture and champagne into the butter and sugar bowl in three additions, beginning and ending with flour.
7. Beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again until the batter is uniform.
8. Divide the batter evenly between your prepared pans.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cakes.
10. Let the cakes cool in their pans for a few minutes before turning over onto a wire rack. Let them cool completely before assembling or icing the cake.

Rose Buttercream

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2. Reduce speed to medium and add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beating after each addition, until combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Beat in the vanilla and food coloring, if using.
4. If the frosting is too stiff or too thick, add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. Add one tablespoon to have thicker frosting to use between the layers and to pipe frosting. If spreading frosting all over the outside of the cake I add more milk to make the frosting easier to spread.
5. Use the frosting right after you make it or store it in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you store it in the fridge, bring to room temperature before using, and beat on low speed until smooth.
6. The choice was to make this a naked cake with only a sheen of frosting in some spots on the outside of the cake. If you decorate it this way you will have leftover frosting (but I’ve never heard complaints about that )
7. The frosting recipe should make enough for you to frost the outside of the cake with a full layer of icing if you don’t want a naked cake.

Champagne cake slightly adapted from here.