A Rose By Any Other Name Cake -

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” – Juliet

I came up with this cake for my Romeo and Juliet dinner. It’s a Fiori di Sicliia bundt cake served with summer berries and freshly whipped cream. Fiori di Sicilia is perfect for the theme, since it’s an Italian extract and Romeo and Juliet was set in Renaissance Tuscany.

This cake smells so good that the fragrance nearly knocks you over when you lift the cake dome. This bundt cake could not be easier to make either! You literally put all of the ingredients in a mixer, mix it up, pour it in a bundt pan (in my case, a rose bundt pan), and voila: the perfect summer dessert.

What is fiori di sicilia, you ask? It’s one of my secret ingredients! Fiori di sicilia is an orange vanilla extract that makes everything taste fancy. I use it in everything and I especially love it in this bundt cake. I get mine at King Arthur Flour. I love it in sugar cookies, coffee cake, cake, and more!

Isn’t it so lovely? I baked this cake in my rose bundt pan, which was given to me as a gift a decade ago. You can of course use any bundt pan that you have on hand! This cake would also be great with powdered sugar or a glaze, but since the rose shape was the point, I didn’t want to have anything on top.

Romeo and Juliet Cake, Shakespeare Party Recipes — You can use a normal bundt pan for this recipe.

This is a great summer cake for two reasons: it bakes at a low temperature and it’s divine with fresh summer berries. A bundt cake also makes a ton of slices so it’s perfect for family gatherings.

A Rose By Any Other Name Cake
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz sour cream
6 large eggs
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Fiori di Sicilia* (orange vanilla extract)
Berries, whipped cream (recipe follows) for serving

Grease and flour a rose bundt pan (or regular bundt pan). Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer, beating at a low speed until combined, then at a medium speed for a minute or two. Spoon into prepared rose bundt pan.
Bake for an hour and thirty minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake in the pan for ten minutes, remove from pan, and set on a rack to cool completely.
Serve with whipped cream and berries.

*If you don’t have Fiori di Sicilia on hand and want to make this, use a 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and a 1/2 tsp orange extract.

Freshly whipped cream: 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla. Beat cream in a metal bowl with a metal whisk until thickened. Add powdered sugar and vanilla and whip just until soft peaks form. I like pillowy whipped cream for pound cake!

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