Hey Guys, how do you enjoy your afternoon tea?
My perfect afternoon tea is to have a cup of Cappucinno and a piece of my favorite buttercream layer cake.
A layered of soft cotton cake with rose mousse filling in between, covered and decorate with a silky smooth Italian Meringue Buttercream…here you will find a fanciful realm of enchanting sweet treats in these vintage style “Pandanus Rose Cake”.
I always fall in love with the vintage style buttercream cake with the piped ruffles and borders, it reminds me of my 1980’s birthday cake.
This cake will be bake in a water bath. The benefit of water bath is that it will moderate the baking temperature and the cake texture will be very moist too.
For the flavouring, you can use pandanus paste. I found this natural pandan powder is really great for baking.
It’s adds natural green coloring and fresh pandanus aroma.
The cake is light and moist and not to sweet…
Paired with rose mouse filling inside so tasty and flavorful…
And this buttercream also so soft melts in your mouth…
For the mousse filling, I highly suggest to use this natural rose water rather than artificial one, you really can tell the difference.
I love to called it English Style Princess Birthday Cake ☺️ ! That enticing smell makes your mouth water.
Hm..mm this cake makes me so happy and I feel like a princess 👸
Enjoy your afternoon tea with this fluffy, fragrant Pandan Rose Layer Cake, I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I did….
PANDAN ROSE MOUSSE CAKE
Yield: One 6 Inch Square Cake
Active time: 1 1/2 hours
Total time: 3 hours
INGREDIENTS
Rose Mousse Filling
- 2/3 teaspoon Unflavoured Gelatine
- 20 grams Water
- 75 grams White Baking Chocolate (Compound or Couverture)
- 30 grams Milk
- 160 grams Heavy Cream
- 5 grams Icing Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Beetroot Powder or Pink Food Colouring
- 5 drops Pure Rose Water
Pandan Sponge Cake
- 85 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Double Acting Baking Powder
- 60 grams Salted Butter
- 60 grams Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 100 grams Egg Yolks
- 1 teaspoon Pandan Powder or Pandan Paste
- 140 grams Egg Whites
- 1/2 teaspoon Vinegar or Lemon Juice
- 60 grams Caster Sugar
Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 160 grams Egg Whites
- 300 grams Granulated Sugar
- 180 grams Water
- 150 grams Unsalted Butter
- 420 grams Shortening
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- Green Food Colouring
INSTRUCTIONS
Rose Mousse Filling
- Bloom the gelatine by sprinkling it over cold water and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Melt the white chocolate.
Heat the bloomed gelatine and the milk in the microwave or on the stove (DO NOT BOIL). - Add the hot milk into the melted chocolate, whisk vigorously to a smooth paste.
Mix in the melted bloomed gelatine and whisk again until smooth. - In another bowl, whip the heavy cream with the icing sugar until they reach medium firm peaks (don’t over whip it, else it will first turn grainy and then to butter).
- Take about 1/3 of the whipped cream to lighten the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remaining cream.
- Add some beetroot powder and a few drops of rose water, mix until well combined.
- Store in the fridge for at least 2 hours to firm up.
Pandan Sponge Cake
- Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Line your pan with parchment paper (make sure you have enough parchment overhang to cover up the entire inside of the baking pan). - Sift the flour and baking powder, set aside.
- For the Egg Yolk Batter
Melt the butter until start to bubbly, take it off from the heat, add 2/3 of the flour mixture and keep stirring until smooth.
Add the milk and vanilla extract, mix well
Add the egg yolk and mix
Pour in the last portion of flour mixture and mix until really smooth
Add pandan powder, mix well; Set aside. - For the Meringue
In a large bowl (make sure your bowl is clean and grease free) whisk egg white until frothy, add the vinegar and continue to beat until foamy; gradually add in the sugar and whisk until firm peaks formed (the peak will hold and fold back slightly when you turn your whisk upside down). - Add 1/3 of meringue to the egg yolk batter, mix well;
And then pour the yolk batter to the rest meringue, fold gently in one circular motion until well incorporated. - To Bake
Pour the batter into a prepared pan (slowly and from about 30 cm high so that air bubbles burst as they flow out of bowl)
Tap the pan against worktop 3-4 times to remove air bubbles.
Wrap the bottom part of the pan with aluminium foil so that the water doesn’t get into the pan.
And for a Water Bath; place the cake pan within a larger pan and pour hot water into the outer pan until it comes up to a level of 1.5cm – 2 cm.
Place the whole thing in the oven and bake them in the preheated oven for 70 minutes. - After 70 minutes, turn off the oven. Remove the water bath and return the cake into switched off oven to continue baking for another 10 minutes.
- Once it’s done, drop the pan at a height of 10 cm onto a table top (this will prevent cake from sinking). Unmould immediately, peel off the baking paper and re invert onto a rack to cool completely.
Italian Meringue Buttercream
- Place egg whites inside the stainless steel mixing bowl with the whisk attachment (make sure your bowl is clean and grease free).
- For the Sugar Syrup
Pour the sugar and water in a large heavy bottom sauce pot; cook over high heat until the sugar dissolved and reaches 240°F.
Always extra precautions while working with hot sugar syrups! - For the Meringue
As soon as the sugar mixture reached 240° F remove it from the heat; turn on the mixer to medium high speed to get the egg whites frothy and gaining volume.
Once the egg whites are starting to get white in color, slowly and carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the whipping egg whites (try to avoid splashing the syrup onto the whisk attachment or you will be making spun sugar as it hits the sides of the metal bowl).
Continue whipping until the mixture has cooled completely (mine takes for about 15 minutes) before you add the butter and shortening or you will have Butter soup! - Once the meringue is cool to the touch, slowly add the butter and shortening, add in vanilla extract (the mixture will look as if it’s broken and curdled at first NO NEED to be panic this is natural, it will come back together eventually, just continue mixing until the mixture is smooth).
- Colour the buttercream with a bit of green food colouring.
ASSEMBLY THE CAKE
- Cut the cake into 3 even layers.
- Pour the mouse and buttercream into a pipping bag with a number 12 tip.
- Place the first layer on a cake board; pipe a double dam of buttercream all away around the cake (this dam is going to help the mousse filling from seeping out).
Pipe the rose mousse in the center (you want to make sure that your filling is at the same height over your dam buttercream, so when you stack the layer it continues to stay even all the way up). - Place the second layer, repeat the same process with the second layer.
- Place the last layer, cover it all with the buttercream. Decorate according to your preference.
NOTES
- For the cake; try to use room temperature egg whites, this will yield more volume.
- Over beating meringue may cause the cake to crack, while under beating will cause the cake to collapse or it may not rise much.
- Mousse made with whipped cream, so it must be kept refrigerated at all times. Store in an airtight container for up to 8 days.
- To store Italian Meringue Buttercream; 2 weeks in the fridge, 2 months in the freezer.
- To Defrost Buttercream
Take it out several hours before you need it and let it get to room temperature.
Then put it on the mixer on low speed and let it mix (it will look curdled at first, don’t be alarmed this is natural, it will come back together eventually). You can turn the speed up to medium high and it will mix out smooth. - To store the final layer cake; Store in the fridge (in an airtight container) for up to 3 days.