Gluten-Free Rose Tea Cakes (Dairy-Free, Healing + Beautiful)

Wild roses aren’t just beautiful — they’re medicine. The petals are gently anti-inflammatory, calming to the nervous system, and soothing for anxiety, grief, and emotional overwhelm. The rose hips (the fruit of the rose after blooming) are rich in Vitamin C and antioxidants, making them amazing for immune health and skin repair.

While you can use common garden roses in recipes like this, make sure they’re unsprayed, fragrant, and free of pesticides — grocery store roses sadly don’t meet the mark. If you have a rose bush at home or access to wild roses (like Rosa rugosa or Rosa canina), that is ideal. Wild roses are typically more medicinally potent and carry a more vibrant flavor and aroma.

The Medicinal Benefits of Wild Roses (pictured above)

Wild roses are more than a romantic flower (they just happen to be my husband's favorite flower) — they’ve been used for generations in herbal medicine to ease inflammation, reduce anxiety, and support heart and immune health. Here's why they’re worth baking with (+ make the most beautiful edible flower):

Rose Petals:

Naturally anti-inflammatory and calming to the nervous system

Known to help ease emotional overwhelm, heartache, and anxiety

Mildly antimicrobial and rich in polyphenols

I love drying them to have for tea during the winter.

Rose Hips (the fruit of the rose):

Rich in Vitamin C, antioxidants, and immune-boosting compounds

Supports skin, gut, and respiratory health

Best used dried in teas, syrups, or tinctures for year-round support

Wild vs. Cultivated Roses:

Wild roses (like Rosa rugosa or Rosa canina) are typically more medicinally potent

Garden roses can be used if they are fragrant, organically grown, and unsprayed

Avoid grocery store roses — they’re usually heavily treated with chemicals

These sweet little cakes are more than just a beautiful treat. They are the perfect example of how God's creation is truly amazing - Just by adding a simple ingredient, that just happens to grow wild where we live, you add amazing healing benefits. This recipe is also Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free, that I believe tastes better than the real deal - my husband, who is not gluten-free, absolutely loved them!

I had the best time going out and harvesting the roses on a sunny summer morning [Harvest Tip: Pick rose petals (or any flower) early in the morning, when oils are most potent and bugs are still dormant. You'll get stronger scent and better flavor]. Where we live in the mountains of the pacific northwest the wildflowers mark the seasons, and wild rose season is one of my favorites...

About This Recipe

These gluten-free & dairy-free honey rose cakes are soft, delicately floral, and bursting with lemon-sugar brightness. They’re beautiful enough to gift, but easy enough to make for an afternoon tea at home.

The recipe is based on a simple, one-bowl method that uses cassava flour — a favorite of mine for how it mimics regular flour without the heavy starches or gums found in typical gluten-free blends. I’ve tested this with multiple oils, and extra virgin olive oil gives the cakes a beautiful rise without being overpowering.

I also use organic coconut milk (I love the simple brand without the gums) — infusing it with wild rose petals to extract their flavor, aroma, and calming benefits.

Flavor Variations

This is a foundational recipe — feel free to make it your own:

• Add ½ cup blueberries, raspberries, or chopped strawberries

• Swap lemon zest for orange zest

• Add lavender (dried or fresh) to the muffins/cakes and to the lemon zest sugar for a blueberry-lavender or raspberry-lavender twist
  

I used cute little molds for mine and got four perfect cakes, but this same recipe makes 6 standard muffins. Want 12 muffins? Just double the recipe.

Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Honey Rose Cakes

Yield: 6 muffins or 4 small cakes (double the recipe for 12 muffins)

Ingredients

120g Otto's Naturals Cassava Flour (about 1 sifted cup or ¾ cup un-sifted)

½ cup organic unrefined sugar or coconut sugar

½ tsp baking powder (grain-free)

½ tsp sea salt

Zest of 1 lemon

1 egg

⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup full-fat organic coconut milk, infused with wild roses (see below)

Glaze Ingredients: powdered sugar, lemon juice, splash of vanilla, and rose-infused coconut milk

Topping: lemon zest sugar + fresh or dried rose petals

How to Infuse Coconut Milk with Roses

Gently heat ½ cup of full-fat organic coconut milk in a small saucepan (do not boil).

Once steaming, remove from heat and stir in ½ to 1 cup fresh rose petals.

Cover and let steep for 15–20 minutes.

Strain and let cool before using in recipe.

The more petals you use, the stronger the flavor. I used 3/4 cup lightly packed and next time I would add more.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 6 liners or grease 4 small baking molds.

In a medium bowl, rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant.

Whisk in the cassava flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the egg, olive oil, vanilla, and cooled rose-infused coconut milk. Mix well to combine.

Pour into molds or muffin liners and smooth the tops.

Bake 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean/cake springs back when pressed on the top. (If using berries, bake 5–10 mins longer.)

Let cool completely before glazing.

Whisk together powdered sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and a splash of rose coconut milk to make your glaze. Drizzle over cakes. Let the glaze almost set (not completely) before finishing.

Finish with lemon sugar (lemon zest + sugar) and rose petals. They make the perfect gift!💗

I pray you absolutely love this recipe and make it your own...This recipe really is an invitation to create your own flavor combinations! I've used this recipe to make many different flavor combinations of muffins, and even cake, but this rose cake is a special one!

Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty heavens!
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with lute and harp!
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
Praise Him with strings and pipe!
Praise Him with sounding cymbals;
Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150:1–6

Be sure to check out the full video tutorial on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/YClRV00Fu_8?si=hGAQhaYXv8MEjE6H

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