Preheat the oven to 350F/177C. Prepare three, 8-inch cake pans by lining the bottom with parchment paper; the sides can be left ungreased. Place the egg whites only into a clean mixing bowl and whisk on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes until stiff peaks form. Remove the egg whites into a separate bowl and set aside. No need to rinse the mixing bowl after the eggs whites - add in the egg yolks, oil and sugar and whisk on medium speed for a few minutes until well combined. Next, pour in the milk, rose water extract and food coloring and mix again on medium speed for 1 minute, just until combined. Add a few drops of food coloring at a time, adding more as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the dry ingredients into the cake batter to ensure that no clumps remain. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter on low speed for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated and the batter is smooth; do not overmix. Begin folding in the egg whites - I split the egg whites into thirds and fold thoroughly but gently after each addition, folding from the bottom of the mixing bowl until the egg white are well incorporated. Divide the cake batter evenly between the three prepared pans. Use a kitchen scale for more accuracy.

Bake the cake layers in the preheated oven at 350F/177C for 27 to 29 minutes. Because every oven bakes differently, start checking the cake at 25 minutes; the top should be set and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean when the cake is done. Remove the ready cakes out of the oven and cool completely on a wire rack - cool in the pans for about 20 minutes, then remove from the pans to cool further.

Once cake layers have cooled, prepare the buttercream. Place the softened butter into a mixing bowl and whisk on high speed for 7 to 8 minutes, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl often, until the butter is light and fluffy. Add in the confectioner's sugar next - I usually use 2 1/2 cups - the more you add, the thicker and fluffier the frosting will be, but sweeter. Mix the sugar in on low speed first until incorporated, then whisk on high speed for 2 to 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the rose water extract and food coloring last and mix just until incorporated.

For the rose water, combine the boiling water and sugar in a small bowl or measuring cup and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow the syrup to cool down to room temperature, or add a few ice cubes to cool it quickly. Flavor with rose water after it's cooled.

To assemble the cake, first use a long, serrated knife to level off the tops of the cake layers. Using a pastry brush, light soak each cake layer with the prepared rose water syrup. Spread a generous amount of frosting onto the first cake layer, followed by 1/2 of the rose jam or marmalade. Spread the jam evenly to the edges, then repeat with the next cake layer. Watch my video recipe to see how it's done!

Frost the top and sides of the cake, smoothing out the frosting with offset spatulas. Apply a thin, crumb coat layer of frosting first, then let the cake stand in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, just until lightly set. Apply the final coat of frosting, smoothing down the top and sides. To garnish with roses, trim the rose stem down to 1 or 1 1/2-inches in length. If the cake will stand for more than 1 or 2 days, I recommend wrapping the rose stems with plastic wrap or floral tape. Insert the roses evenly along the perimeter of the cake.

Keep the cake refrigerated if not eating with the first 12 hours. For storing, place the cake into the refrigerator. Remove it from the fridge about an hour before enjoying to allow the cake and frosting to soften.