A real treat for fans of this traditionally rose-infused sweet. With a rich chocolate sponge and a floral buttercream, the pomegranate molasses adds a Turkish-inspired tang that balances the sweetness, but you could use lemon juice instead.
75 g unsalted butter, chopped, plus extra to grease
150 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
2 tsp. instant coffee granules
75 g vegetable oil
100 ml soured cream
175 g light brown soft sugar
3 medium eggs
175 g self-raising flour
3 Tbsp. cocoa
FOR THE ROSE BUTTERCREAM
250 g unsalted butter, softened
250 g icing sugar, sifted
2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses or lemon juice
1 tsp. rose water, we used Nielsen Massey
Pink food colouring, optional
TO DECORATE
200 g Turkish delight
15 g pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
Fresh or dried rose petals or buds, optional
Directions
Step 1Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark 4 and lightly grease and line a 900g loaf tin with baking parchment.
Step 2For the cake, in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, butter and coffee granules, stirring occasionally, until smooth. Remove bowl from the heat and stir in the oil, followed by the soured cream. Whisk [hand whisk not electric] in the sugar, then the eggs. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and a pinch of salt and stir until smooth.
Step 3Scrape mixture into the lined tin and bake for 45-50min, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out almost clean. Be careful not to overbake it, as this will make the cake dry. Leave to cool in tin for 30min, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 4When cool, make the buttercream. Using a freestanding mixer or a handheld electric whisk, beat the butter and 1/2 the icing sugar in a large bowl until completely smooth (go slowly at first to avoid a cloud of icing sugar). Add remaining icing sugar, pomegranate molasses or lemon juice and rose water and beat until light and fluffy. Add food colouring, if using, to dye to a nice bright pink.
Step 5To assemble, slice the cooled cake in 1/2 horizontally and roughly chop a few pieces of Turkish delight. Spread 1/3 of the buttercream on the top of the bottom 1/2 of the cake and arrange the chopped Turkish delight on top. Lay on the top 1/2 of the cake. Pipe (see GH Tip) or spread the remaining buttercream on top and decorate with the remaining whole Turkish delight, chopped pistachios and rose petals (if using). Serve in slices.
GH Tip: We used a 17mm open star piping nozzle (tip #7FT or Wilton 6B) to decorate our cake.
TO STORE:
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Per serving:
Calories: 721
Protein: 6g
Total fat: 42g
Saturates: 22g
Carbs: 79g
Total sugars: 63g
Fibre: 2g
Every cake tastes better in loaf cake form and these are the best recipes to try now
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
