This Rosewater Strawberry swirl cake is officially a new favorite of mine! Perfect for Valentine’s day, this heart-shaped cake is beautiful, super moist, and delicious, with the fragrant rosewater taste and pop of strawberry swirl.
Begin by washing the strawberries and removing the stems. Thickly slice the strawberries and place in a small saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice over the strawberries and place over medium heat. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until strawberries are tender and sauce has thickened. Mash any remaining strawberries.
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.
Grease the cake pan with nonstick spray or butter.
Using a handheld mixer or stand mixer, whisk the softened butter for about a minute in a large bowl until fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk on medium speed for another minute. Add the egg whites and whisk on medium speed for 2 minutes until batter is light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides using a rubber spatula as needed. Add the vanilla extract, yogurt and rose water and whisk until combined.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder and salt together.
Slowly add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter, alternating until fully incorporated. Do not over-mix the batter.
Pour half the batter into the cake pan. Spoon the strawberry sauce over the cake batter and using a butter knife, swirl the strawberry sauce into the cake. Pour the remaining cake batter and bake the cake for 40-45 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before flipping upside down into a large plate.