Persian Love Cake
A delightful Persian cake featuring a unique blend of flavors from spices and rosewater, perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups almond meal (almond flour)
- 1.5 cups semolina
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
Wet Ingredients
- 120 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup plain yoghurt
- Zest of one orange orange zest
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp+ rosewater adjust to taste, start with less
Toppings
- 50 g raw pistachios, chopped or slivered (or almonds)
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F) for a standard oven or 160°C (320°F) for a fan oven. Grease and line a 22 cm (9 inch) cake pan.
- In a bowl, mix the almond meal, semolina, baking powder, nutmeg, and cardamom together.
- In another bowl, beat the butter and both sugars using an electric beater until well combined. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Then mix in the yoghurt and orange zest, beating until everything is smooth.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients from the first bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
Baking
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface. Scatter chopped pistachios or almonds on top.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Once baked, poke 30 to 40 holes all over the cake using a skewer, ensuring you poke all the way through.
- Pour warm syrup over the cake while it is still hot. Let it soak for at least 1 hour before removing it from the pan.
Serving
- Cool the cake, slice it, and serve. You can decorate it with dried rose petals, serve it plain, dust it with icing sugar, or drizzle it with lemon glaze for an extra touch.
Notes
Use fresh spices for enhanced flavor. Adjust the amount of rosewater to suit your taste; start with a small amount. Ensure your butter is at room temperature. Do not skip the soaking step; it keeps the cake moist and flavorful.