If you’re looking for a cake that’s a little extra and a whole lot of delicious, this Orange Cardamom Cake with Rose Buttercream is it. It’s super soft, full of fresh orange flavor with a cozy hint of cardamom spice, and frosted in the dreamiest rosewater buttercream. It’s got that fancy, floral vibe without being fussy—and the dried rose petals on top make it look like it came straight out of a bakery. Perfect as a unique birthday cake, or when you just want to impress yourself (because you deserve it).

Oh do I have something special for you today.

sliced orange cardamom cake garnished with dried rose petals on cake stand in front of balloon backdrop

Cardamom and Orange Cake With Rose B

Cardamom is a spice you can find in any grocery store, and rosewater you can find in any kosher supermarket or Mediterranean market. The dried rosebuds are harder to come by, but I think you can find them on Amazon. Everything else is standard baking aisle stuff.

The orange and cardamom flavors pair so well in the cake and both help to enhance the other, while the rosewater is used sparingly but will give you the sweetest floral taste that is hard to explain, but it tastes like it sounds and it’s glorious.

Besides those few oddball ingredients, this is essentially a standard vanilla cake recipe. There are quite a few eggs in the batter, plus some orange juice, but besides that I bet you have everything you need to make this fab cake already in your pantry!

orange cardamom cake garnished with dried rose petals and lit candle on cake stand in front of balloon backdrop

How to make

I feel like I say this every time, but this cake is so easy! Don’t let the pretty pictures fool you, you can have the orange cardamom cake batter made and in the oven in about 10 minutes.

To make this cake, you simply cream the butter and sugars together, and then slowly add in the eggs. Then alternately add in the rest of the wet and dry ingredients — voila! Orange cardamom cake batter. Divide the cake batter between three greased 9-inch cake pans and bake until the edges pull away from the pan.

Once the cake layers are out of the oven, let them cool completely before making the rose buttercream. Then, simply frost that baby and decorate however you see fit. I used dried rose petals, but you could use fresh flowers as well (here’s more info on how to decorate a cake with flowers).

sliced orange cardamom cake garnished with dried rose petals

Can I use different sized cake pans?

Absolutely! If using 8- or 6-inch pans, you’ll need to adjust the bake time. 6-inch cakes will likely need 25-30 minutes in the oven, and 8-inch cakes will need a little more time. Just make sure to still divide the batter among three pans, otherwise the batter might spill over while baking.

Can I make this cake in advance?

This cake tastes best day of, but it will last a few days in the fridge. I suppose if you really wanted to prep this cake ahead of time, you could bake and freeze the cake layers and thaw the night before you plan on serving it. You’d need to make the rose buttercream frosting just before serving this cake, though.

I haven’t tried that myself, but if you’re in a pinch it might work out fine!

slice of orange cardamom cake on pink plate

Notes on Using Rosewater

I’ve said this once, and I’ll say it again: do NOT add more rosewater than the recipe calls for! It’s powerful stuff, and it can quickly overpower the entire cake.

And for the best flavored cake, use freshly squeezed orange juice if you can. Or grab a good-quality bottled juice from the store — just try to avoid anything with extra sweeteners in it.

Besides that, there’s nothing more to say about this cake. Except that you need to make it ASAP, that is.

orange cardamom cake garnished with dried rose petals on cake stand

Not your everyday cake! This beautiful creation is a cardamom and orange infused birthday cake with rose buttercream, made for Melinda of kitchen-tested.com for her 35th bday! #happybirthday #35 #cake #foodbloggers kitchen-tested.com and frostingandfettuccine.com
5 stars (2 ratings)

Orange Cardamom Cake with Rose Buttercream

If you're looking for a cake that's a little extra and a whole lot of delicious, this Orange Cardamom Cake with Rose Buttercream is it. It’s super soft, full of fresh orange flavor with a cozy hint of cardamom spice, and frosted in the dreamiest rosewater buttercream. It’s got that fancy, floral vibe without being fussy—and the dried rose petals on top make it look like it came straight out of a bakery. Perfect as a unique birthday cake, or when you just want to impress yourself (because you deserve it).

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1.5 cups (340.5 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups (400 g) granulated sugar
  • 1.5 cups (330 g) brown sugar, packed
  • 8 (8) eggs, large
  • 5 cups (625 g) all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) ground cardamom
  • 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) kosher salt
  • 3/4 cup (177.44 ml) milk
  • 3/4 cup (177.44 ml) orange juice
  • Zest og 1 large orange
  • 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract

Rose Buttercream

  • 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 cups (480 g) confectioners sugar
  • 1 1/4 tsp (1.25 tsp) rosewater
  • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) vanilla extract
  • 4 tsp (4 tsp) milk or cream
  • 2 drops (2 drops) pink food coloring
  • Rose Buds , For Garnish

Instructions
 

For the Cake

  • Preheat your oven to 350° F and spray 3 9” round pans with baking spray or line with parchment paper.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine the butter and sugars and cream on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes
  • Add in the eggs one at a time on low to fully incorporate them into the mixture. Keep the mixer on low.
  • In a separate medium sized bowl combine the flour, cardamom, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a large measuring cup, combine the milk, orange juice, zest and vanilla.
  • With the mixer on low speed alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients in thirds. Starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Turn up the mixer to medium and mix until the batter becomes smooth.
  • Divide the batter between the pans and bake for 40 mins or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges start breaking away from the pan.

Rosewater Buttercream

  • In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar and mix on low speed, picking up to medium as the mixture combines. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.
  • Add in the rose water, vanilla, food coloring, milk, and salt. Beat on medium speed for 3-4 minutes.

Assemble the cake

  • Using a large serrated knife, cut off the tops of the cake to level them off. Place the bottom layer on a cake board and fill with 1/3rd of the buttercream. Place the middle layer on top and fill again with another 1/3rd. Lastly place the top layer down and ice the cake with the remaining icing. Garnish with fresh or dried rose petals

Notes

*Rosewater is the type of thing where a little goes a long way. Be mindful of how much you are putting in to the frosting so the flavor doesn’t become overpowering.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 701kcal, Carbohydrates: 93g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 34g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 170mg, Sodium: 207mg, Potassium: 138mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 60g, Vitamin A: 1119IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 96mg, Iron: 3mg
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