This cake uses the perfect flavour combination of spices, nuts and floral scents found in Eastern desserts.

Ingredients

for the sponge:

375g self raising flour

225g light brown sugar

2 tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 ½ tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

150g vegetable oil

2 tblsp rose water

330 ml soya milk

1 ½ tsp cider vinegar

2 tsp vanilla extract

for the frosting:

300g room temperature dairy free butter eg. Flora Plant Butter or Naturli Block (NOT the spreadable type)

600g icing sugar

40g pistachio paste

2 tblsp rose water

1 tsp rose extract or a few drops of Foodie Flavours rose flavouring

1 tsp vanilla extract

pink and green food colouring (optional)

decoration:

1 tblsp pistachio nuts, crushed

a few dried rose petals

for extra decoration, see note at bottom

Method

Sponge

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Grease and line three 6 inch tins.

Sieve the flour into a bowl and add all the other dry ingredients, including the spices.

In another bowl add all the wet ingredients, then pour these into the dry ingredients and mix as quickly as possible. Pour the batter into the prepared tins.

Bake for 30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean from the centre; allow to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then transfer the sponges to a wire rack.

Frosting

Beat the butter for a few minutes until it's pale and creamy, then add half the icing sugar and a tablespoon or two of water and beat again. Add the rest of the icing sugar and beat again. It should be a firm consistency. Split the frosting roughly one third into one bowl and two thirds into another.

Add the pistachio paste to the smaller quantity of frosting – you will use this to sandwich the sponges together. You might also want to add a tiny bit of green food colouring.

Add the rose water, rose extract, vanilla paste and pink food colouring to the larger amount of frosting – you will use this to coat the cake. If the frosting is too stiff add a splash of water; if it is too runny add more icing sugar and beat again.

To assemble the cake, cut the top off the sponges and sandwich the three layers together with the pistachio frosting.

Coat the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of the rose frosting, then leave to chill for half an hour in the fridge or 10 minutes in the freezer.

Once this is firm, use the rest of the rose frosting in a thick layer on the top and sides. Decorate the top with crushed pistachios and rose petals.

Extra decoration

I’ve used a white chocolate drip on this cake – to do this you need to chill the cake for half an hour once it is frosted, melt 50g vegan white chocolate eg Moo Free and then stir in 10g coconut oil. Mix and while it is still runny use a teaspoon to drip the chocolate down the sides, then use the rest of the chocolate to cover the top of the cake and sprinkle on the pistachios and rose petals.

Enjoy!