Ras el Hanout Buttermilk Loaf Cake with Rose Icing

The cake is beautifully moist, rich and super comforting and has a very earthy flavour thanks to the North African spice blend ras el hanout. The spice mix works surprisingly well in this sweet buttermilk cake and rose syrup icing complements the spiciness perfectly.
Ras el Hanout, meaning 'top of the shop', is a popular spice blend used in Moroccan, Tunisian, and Algerian cuisines. This vibrant, warm and comforting spice blend comes in many different varieties with different ingredients. Common ingredients include cardamom, saffron, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, dry ginger, chili peppers, rose buds, coriander seed, peppercorn, sweet and hot paprika, fenugreek, and dry turmeric, but ras el hanout can contain up to 100 spices. It is perfect for tagines, couscous & vegetables, as a marinade and much more.

Ras el Hanout Buttermilk Loaf Cake with Rose Icing

adapted from Olive Magazine

Batter	Topping
175 g White spelt flour (German #630) 1 tsp Baking powder 1 heaped tbsp Ras el hanout 150 g Unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature 3 Medium eggs at room temperature 175 g Erythritol or caster sugar 1 tsp Vanilla extract 120 ml Buttermilk, at room temperature	75 g Icing sugar, sifted 2-3 tsp Rosewater Dried edible rose petals

Heat the oven to 180C/350F and butter and line a 23cm x 12cm loaf pan with baking paper. Sift the flour and baking powder together twice. Add in ras el hanout. Set aside.
Put the eggs and sugar into a large mixing bowl and use an electric mixer to beat together until light and airy. Slowly beat in the vanilla, and cooled melted butter.
Add in half of the dry ingredients and use a rubber spatula to gently fold into the egg mixture. Mix in the buttermilk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until well-combined.
Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin.
To make the icing, sift the powdered sugar in a small bowl and gradually add the rosewater until smooth and drizzle-able.
Once the cake has cooled, remove from the pan and spoon the icing over the top. Sprinkle over the rose petals, to serve, if you like.

5 comments:

Tom 9/12/25 13:53: ...Angie, I would like it without the frosting!
Lola Martínez 9/12/25 14:53: Que bonito y navideño se ve, debe desprender un aroma divino y saber mucho mejor.
Rainbow Evening 9/12/25 15:09: glad to try the cake ....yummy.
DEZMOND 9/12/25 15:12: Looks lovely und fragrant. I did use a lot of yoghurt and butter milk in cake baking while I was still baking cakes to fully replace eggs in them.
Top Attractions for Christmas in Dubai 2025 9/12/25 15:34: “This sounds absolutely enchanting — such a beautiful fusion of warm spices and delicate rose! Ras el Hanout in a loaf cake is so creative, and that buttermilk tenderness with rose icing feels like pure poetry. I can almost smell it from here. Truly a stunning bake!”