Persian Love Cake

Persian cuisine is all time family favorite, be it sweet or savory. When I first time made this unique cake 5 months back, I was quite skeptical about using ground almond and pistachio in the cake batter. But it turned out so delicious and moist, infused with a distinctive Persian flavor. It rose so beautifully and we loved its perfect balance of cardamom, rose water and saffron flavor.The cake was not too sweet but incredibly rich and delicious. My tween made it a few days back with a little bit of help from me and it turned out great. She made Bastani Sonnati also known as Persian Ice Cream as well and I paired it with Persian Love Cake. Trust me, it takes to a whole new level. 

There is a story behind how the cake got its name. A Persian woman fell in love with a prince. She baked an elegant and fragrant cake to win prince's heart. The cake was flavored with rosewater, cardamom and saffron and brushed with lemon syrup, topped with rose-scented icing along with ground pistachios and dried rose petals. Whether this story is true or not, saffron, cardamom, rose water, almond and pistachio are the very traditional ingredients in many Persian sweet and savory dishes. I didn't have dried rose petal to decorate the cake but Persian Love Cake wins my dear one's heart the way it is served.  

There are so many different recipes for this cake. I used less sugar in the batter, syrup and icing without compromising on taste and less butter as the ground almond and pistachio have enough natural oils to keep the cake moist. Lemon syrup and lemon icing give the perfect balance of tang and sweet to the cake. Here is my take on the Persian Love Cake and it’s so easy to make.

Ingredients~

For the cake:

1 cups sifted all purpose flour, plus more for the pan

1/4 cup ground almond 

1/4 cup ground pistachio + 2 tbsp

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 cup thick yogurt

1/2 cup half n half milk or whole milk

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp rose water or as per taste

1/4 tsp saffron 

For the syrup:

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the icing:

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Method~

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter and flour 6 cups bundt pan or 9x5 -inch loaf cake pan and tap out any excess flour. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together in a bowl. 

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally. Beat the eggs, one at a time. Add in yogurt and half n half. then mix with the butter mixture. Beat for 30 seconds. Add in ground almond, pistachio, rose water, saffron and cardamom powder. Gently mix with the hand mixer for a minute. Gradually add flour mixture to wet mixture until it becomes a smooth batter. Do not over mix. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a back of a spoon. Tap the batter filled cake pan on the kitchen counter for a few times to get rid of air bubbles. Bake for about 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 15 minutes. Poke holes all over it and invert the cake onto a wire rack. Combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a small bowl and microwave until the sugar melts completely. Brush or spoon the lemon syrup over the cake while it is still warm, then cool completely. For the icing, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a small bowl and mix with a spoon until smooth. If the mixture looks too runny add more confectioners'sugar. Once cake is cool completely, drizzle icing over it. Transfer cake to a serving platter. Garnish with ground pistachio. Slice with a serrated knife. Serve as is or with Bastani Sonnati/Persian ice cream. Cover and store left over cake in the refrigerator and serve at room temperature. Enjoy! 

Happy Baking!