Our Cardamom Apple Rose Cakes Recipe 

There’s something special about giving a homemade treat, especially when it’s as stunning and delicious as our Cardamom Apple Rose Cakes.

Whether you’re heading to a family gathering, celebrating a birthday, or just want to show someone you care, these little cakes have you covered.

Not only do they taste incredible, but they also make a beautiful gift that says, “I put my heart into this.”

Made with fragrant cardamom, fresh apples, and a touch of rosewater, these cakes are the perfect little treat for any occasion. Plus, they’re vegan-friendly, so everyone can enjoy them.

We’ll walk you through each step, from gathering your ingredients to shaping those lovely apple roses. Let’s dive in and make something truly special!

What Are Cardamom Apple Rose Cakes?

These cakes take inspiration from an old Persian legend. The story goes that a woman, deeply in love with a prince, baked a magical cake to win his heart.

While we can’t guarantee these will have a love spell effect, they’re definitely packed with flavor and charm.

Our version combines a light, moist cake with cardamom, citrus, vanilla, and a hint of rose water.

Topped with delicate apple roses and sprinkled with powdered sugar, these cakes are more than just dessert—they’re a way to show a little love to family and friends. Plus, they’re a lot of fun to make!

Ingredients for Cardamom Apple Rose Cakes

Baking should be enjoyable, not stressful. We’ve got you covered with a detailed list of what you’ll need:

Ingredients:

• 2 medium apples (Gala or Honeycrisp), cored and thinly sliced
• 1 cup spelt flour
• ½ cup chickpea flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup applesauce
• 1 tablespoon orange zest (from about 1 large orange)
• ¼ cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or almond extract, if preferred)
• ¼ cup almond butter
• 3 tablespoons date syrup (or honey/maple syrup as an alternative)
• ¼ cup vegan margarine (or soft, unsalted butter)
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Note: Feel free to substitute ingredients based on what you have on hand. For example, you can swap out the flour for almond or all-purpose or use pineapple juice if you’re out of oranges.

How to Make Cardamom Apple Rose Cakes

Let’s walk through this step-by-step. These cakes may look fancy, but they’re totally doable, and we’ll make sure you enjoy every part of the process.

1. Steam the Apples

• Bring a pot of water to a boil and place a steamer basket or colander over it.
• Slice the apples thinly with a mandolin (set to setting 2). Place the slices in the steamer as you go.
• Cover and steam the apple slices for about 3 minutes until they’re soft and bendy—this makes shaping them into roses way easier. Remove from the heat and let them cool.

Tip: Steaming the apples is key so they don’t break when you roll them up. It’s worth the extra step, trust us.

2. Preheat the Oven

• Set your oven to 180°C (350°F). While it’s heating up, grease your muffin tray(s) with vegan margarine. If you’re out of butter, coconut or canola oil will do the trick.
• This recipe makes 12 cupcakes, so make sure you’ve got enough trays.

3. Make the Dough

• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, chickpea flour, salt, cardamom, and bicarbonate of soda. Make sure it’s all mixed well.
• Stir in the applesauce, orange juice, zest, and vanilla. Mix until everything’s combined and set aside.
• In another bowl, mix the almond butter and date syrup. This will go in the center of each cupcake.

Important: As tempting as it is, don’t lick the spoon here. Raw chickpea flour tastes … not great, even with all the yummy ingredients mixed in.

4. Design the Apple Roses

• Line up about ten apple slices in an overlapping row. Gently roll them up, then wrap more slices around to form a rose. Repeat until you’ve got 12 apple roses.

Tip: If the apple slices start to dry out, cover them with a damp cloth to keep them soft.

5. Fill the Cupcake Trays

• Spoon about a tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup, creating a small well in the center. Work one cupcake at a time, dropping a teaspoon of the almond butter mixture into the well before pressing an apple rose on top.

Pro Tip: Doing this one by one makes sure the almond butter mixture stays in the center, giving you that gooey surprise when you take a bite.

6. Bake the Cakes

• Pop the cupcakes in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The edges should be golden, and the apple roses will have a lovely caramelized look. Let them cool in the tray before transferring to a wire rack.

Quick Tip: If the date syrup has seeped to the edges, use a butter knife to gently loosen the cakes.

7. Decorate & Serve

• Once cooled, dust them with powdered sugar. For a little extra sweetness, drizzle more date syrup on top if you’d like. Serve them in cupcake liners or as they are for a rustic vibe.

Substitutes for Cardamom Apple Rose Cake Ingredients

If you’re looking to mix things up or use what you have on hand, here are some swaps you can try:

• Almond Flour: A great alternative to chickpea flour. It’s naturally sweet and adds a nice texture.
• Pineapple Juice: If you’re out of oranges, pineapple juice works well. It changes the flavor a bit but still adds the acidity that is needed.
• Honey: A milder option than date syrup, perfect if you want to keep things on the budget-friendly side.

Final Thoughts

Cakes are a classic for any celebration—birthdays, anniversaries, you name it.

These Cardamom Apple Rose Cakes aren’t just delicious; they’re showstoppers that’ll impress at any event.

With this guide, you’ll be able to whip up a batch from scratch and customize them with the ingredient swaps we’ve suggested if you want to make them your own.

So, go ahead and give these cakes a try. They’re sure to bring a smile to the faces of everyone who takes a bite!

Frequently Asked Questions