Similar to the Rose and Vanilla Bean Ice Creams recipe I posted recently, this recipe is also inspired by a regular catch up spot frequented by my friends and I. Similar to The Tea Salon, the Ladurée cafe in the city was a great location to meet, and while more on the pricey side, offered great teas and cake. Also similar to The Tea Salon, Ladurée in Sydney closed earlier this year. It is such a shame that two of our favourite catch up spots are gone, it really feels like the good spots in the city are becoming fewer and fewer.

The idea for this cake came to me ages ago, but it is only now that the need to make it felt really necessary. I haven’t stuck really closely to the original Ladurée cake, as I wasn’t keen on using food colouring. But feel free to do so in the cake and icing if you feel like it. The original cake is a candy coloured pink as the pictures below show, so add more than you think you need in the batter of the cake mix to ensure the cooked cake has the right hue.

I have created something that replicates the original in taste and texture in a way I am happy with. The original is more of a syrup cake, however the use of yoghurt and oil in this recipe creates a moist cake that doesn’t need a syrup - which makes the cake simpler and easier to make. The icing, also not in the original, adds more rose flavour which I love as the cake on its own is very subtle.

If like my friends and I you are looking for good places to meet for afternoon (or morning) tea in Sydney City and close surrounds, here is a list of cafes and bakeries that I love:

Black Star Pastry - Level 2, The Galleries (at Kinokuniya Bookstore) 500 George St Sydney: This is the easiest of the Black Star Pastry locations to get to if you are already in the City. There isn’t a lot of seating, and now everyone knows about it be prepared for a little wait to order. If it’s really busy get what you want takeaway and head over to Hyde Park or the Domain to eat outside. Try: The Strawberry Watermelon Cake is what they are famous for, and for good reason!
The Tea Cosy - 33 George St The Rocks: Not far from Circular Quay and Wynyard, this is probably the cutest tea rooms you can go too. Situated in an old terrace house, freshly made scones can be enjoyed with a variety of jam flavours and knitting needles and wool at the table in case you fancy a bit of knitting while you catch up with friends. Try: The Devonshire Tea with Triple Berry Jam.
Flour & Stone - 53 Riley St Woolloomooloo: A short walk from Hyde Park and St Mary’s Cathedral, this tiny bakery is well worth a visit. Again few tables are available, but it is worth it if you can hang around and wait for one. Try: They are really famous for the Pannacotta Lamingtons, however you really can’t go wrong with anything here. My favourites are the hand iced gingerbread, Old Fashioned Vanilla Cake and the Lemon Drizzle Cake.
Petal Met Sugar - Shop 7 68 Sir John Young Cres Woolloomooloo: A two minute walk from Flour & Stone is patisserie come florist Petal Met Sugar. Great for a quiet catch up, served with delicate patisserie and fun florals. Try: For special occasions book their seasonal high tea to try a selection of their repertoire.
Bourke Street Bakery - Shop 4 23 Barangaroo Ave Barangaroo: A short walk from Wynyard Station, is another outpost of the popular Bourke Street Bakery institution. It stocks all the favourites and great for an indulgent work day lunch time catch up. Try: Eggplant, Chickpea, Feta & Mint Sausage Roll and the Ginger Brûlée Tart.
Rabbit Hole Tea Bar - Shop 1 23 Barangaroo Ave Barangaroo: Down the road from Bourke St Bakery is the second and smaller cafe from Rabbit Hole Tea. Great for a quiet catch up, but be prepared for a more limited menu than their larger Redfern cafe. Try: Iced Ginger Snap Latte and Salted Caramel Cookie.
KOI Dessert Bar - 46 Kensington St Chippendale: A short walk from Central Station is this gem of a patisserie/dessert bar. Everything here looks amazing and has the flavours to back it up. Great for cake filled catch ups or super fancy set dinner and dessert menus (reservations only) in the upper level of their store for special occasions. Try: Strawberry Pillow and keep and eye out for their seasonal high teas which are just about the best high tea you can have in Sydney.

Strawberry Watermelon Cake from Black Star Pastry

The Tea Cosy

Old Fashioned Vanilla Cake from Flour & Stone

Seasonal High Tea from Petal Met Sugar

Bourke Street Bakery

Ginger Snap Iced Latte from Rabbit Hole Tea Bar

Strawberry Pillow from KOI Dessert Bar

Ladurée Inspired Rose Cake

Ingredients:

175g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)

175g plain Greek style yoghurt

150g caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp rosewater (or to taste)

125ml vegetable oil

For the icing:

125g icing sugar (confectioners)

1-2 tbsp rosewater

dried rose petals, for decoration

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (or 160 fan forced) and line a 20 x 10.5 cm (approx.) loaf tin with baking paper so some of the paper hangs over two of the sides.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and bicarb soda. Then in a small/medium bowl whisk together the yoghurt, sugar, eggs, rosewater and oil.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and whisk until the batter is smooth. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the cake is golden in colour and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. If in doubt give the cake another 5 minutes and check again.

Place the cooked cake on a wire rack, and wait to remove it from the tin until it has cooled (using the overhanging baking paper to do so).

Once the cake has cooled make the icing, by combining the icing sugar and 1 tbsp of the rosewater in a medium bowl (I prefer to use a whisk for this). If more liquid is needed for the icing to make it smoother, gradually add a little more rosewater or hot water can be added instead if you want a more delicate rose flavour.

Spread the icing over the cake and top with dried rose petals to decorate.

Reference: ‘At My Table - A Celebration of Home Cooking’ by Nigella Lawson (Chatto & Windus, 2017), p.254.

For more recipes showcasing the best of rose, check out my ebook Baking with Rose by clicking on the link below!

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Here are some things I have been enjoying this month:

Wandering around Wooloomooloo in Sydney and stopping in at Flour and Stone, and buying pretty flowers from Petal Met Sugar.
Sewing some vegetable seeds and planting some tomato plants - we’ll see how they go! I bought some interesting varieties of beetroot and carrot seeds from this website.
I am on a quest to find the best banana bread recipe, and this one is next on my list.
I received a care package as part of the My Open Kitchen E-Course (which I am really enjoying so far), and the stand out from the package has been the Rainwater Mint Tea from Scullery Made.
The October issue of Jamie Magazine arrived this week, and there is a feature on making sourdough. I have attempted homemade sourdough before, so maybe this will prompt me to try again!
I really enjoyed this podcast episode from Radio Cherry Bombe.

Beautiful ranunculus from Petal Met Sugar

But now to the frittata.

Frittatas are easy to make, and you can really add anything you like to them. I really love beetroots, especially the golden or chioggia varieties. Now that I have attempted to cook chioggias myself, rather than rely on the views of others as I did in this previous post, I have found they do keep some of their colour once boiled. They aren’t quite as pretty as they are raw, but they still look pretty good (and taste really good) once cooked.

Frittatas are a really great way to have some meals prepared for the week, and are super easy to take to work and heat up at lunch. Add a salad on the side and you’ll have a work lunch better than anything you could buy! Making the frittata in advance won’t take too much time out of your weekend or weeknight, and using leftover veggies from dinner (like sweet potato, carrot, broccoli etc), will make the whole process even quicker and make use of things that might have otherwise gone to waste.

Beetroot, Goats Cheese & Thyme Frittata

Ingredients:

850g mixed golden and purple beetroot

150g sour cream (reduced fat sour cream works well)

75g cheese e.g. cheddar, parmesan etc, grated

8 eggs

150g goats cheese

1 small or half a large carrot, grated

1 zucchini, grated

8 sprigs of fresh thyme

Canola oil spray

Method:

To cook the beetroot, cut away any stems or leaves, and wash off any dirt. Place beetroot in a large pot, and cover with water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20-30 mins or until the beetroot are tender (use a fork to check). If using different varieties or colours of beetroot, have a separate smaller pots of water for each variety.

Once cooked, drain and allow to cool a little for a few minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel away the beetroot skin - the skin should gently peel away if you pull it with your fingers (wear gloves for this!). Chop the beetroots into halves or quarters depending on their size, and set aside, keeping the different colours separate if you are using different beetroot varieties.

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius, and spray a baking dish (I use an enamel one that is approx. 28 x 20 cm) with the canola oil spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, grated cheeses, eggs, carrot, zucchini and most of the thyme. Whisk until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the egg mixture into your prepared baking dish, and place the cooked beetroot evenly though out the tin. Then cut up the goats cheese into chunks and do the same.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the frittata is gently browned on top and is cooked through. Serve warm sprinkled with remaining thyme, with a simple salad or as a side to a main meal.

Ladurée Inspired Rose Cake

For more recipes showcasing the best of rose, check out my ebook Baking with Rose by clicking on the link below!

Beetroot, Goats Cheese & Thyme Frittata

Kulinary Adventures of Kath

Food Photography, Recipes & Baking