My adventures with Rose Nectar and our new white cake mix

On a recent trip to Tauranga, I was taken by a good friend to the Good Food Trading Co in Mt Maunganui. Now it's no secret I'm a great fan of a good deli (and seriously folks, this is a good one). But I must say, every trip to a good deli usually finds me on a scouting mission, for something new, something I haven't seen before, which I then challenge myself to do something with. And I found it (well 2 bottles actually made it in to my cart) Sence Rose Nectar. (check them out here for the full story). I was in love with the bottle and the colour of the liquid before I even knew what it was (the colour is identical to my Jean Paul Gaultier perfume and Oh that bottle!)

There are two types available, one being the sugar free variety. I opted for full sugar. At $6.50 per 250ml bottle, I thought it was a bargain, as lets face it, at the end of my project, I'd still have those cool glass bottles.

SENCE Rare European Rose Nectar is a beverage made from Kazanlak rose petals harvested during a three-week period from the end of May and early June in central Bulgaria. The concentrate of pink rose petals, natural preservative sugar and water is pasteurized at the peak of aroma and flavor, virtually the same way it has been produced for hundreds of years. Leonardo Da Vinci drank Kazanlak rose nectar from Bulgaria regularly – both hot, as a tea and chilled

It was while I was in Tauranga that a plan began to formulate in my mind, I had just taken delivery of some new white cake mix to trial - so Rose nectar cake it is! with rose nectar buttercream.

Whilst not everyone is a fan of cake mixes, this one has been developed with cake bakers & decorators in mind, especially for wedding & celebration cakes that need to be WHITE. If you've ever tried adding colouring to a cake that has eggs in it, you'll know what I mean (try to colour it pale pink and you get a lovely apricot shade). White cakes are increasingly popular for weddings these days.

This mix is super easy, you only need water & oil (or in my case rose nectar & oil). The egg is already in the cake mix, in the form of powdered egg whites. For those costing out cakes, the addition of 1/3 cup of oil, is the only addition to this cake, making the price quite reasonable.

I was impressed upon opening the packet, that the dry mix smelt quite nice. (no chemical smell, like some I've encountered). The addition of the rose nectar didn't alter the colour too drastically, so I added a tiny bit of pink colouring, so I'd end up with a nice soft pink cake batter.

I used this recipe for the buttercream, but substituted all liquids with the Rose nectar. Again I tinted it with just a little pink colour.

I opted to use a 7'' Hexagon Fat Daddio pan (for no other reason than I never bake hexagon cakes and it seemed more exciting than a round). Again it's another line I'm testing and I can say this I LOVE THESE PANS. Watch for an extensive range coming soon.

I finished my cake with buttercream rose swirls using a 2d tip. I was quite pleased with the results this simple technique offers. Whilst it is hard to portray in a photo, there is an impression of real movement and a light airy feel, despite only being a swirl, it also has the impression of being a stylised rose. Perfectly fitting for rose nectar cake.

For those that are interested how to use a 2d tip for the rose swirl, this YouTube video is one of many, that show the technique, this video is really good, because ypou can actually see side on, where the presenter starts and finishes the swirl.