Persian Love Cake

• servings: 8-12
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 2 hours

Ingredients

Cake:

300 g sugar

265 g almond flour

195 g all purpose flour

240 g buttermilk

115 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

4 large eggs, room temperature

10 g rosewater

1 tsp lemon / lime zest

½ tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

Glaze and toppings:

110 g powdered sugar

15 g lemon / lime juice

8 g rosewater

Ground, raw pistachios

Edible dried rose petals (optional garnish)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter and line a 9” cake pan with a parchment round at the bottom.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk until well combined.

In a separate large bowl, add the butter, sugar, and citrus zest. With a hand mixer, beat the ingredients at medium-high speed for about 2 minutes, or until fluffy and well mixed.

Crack the eggs into the butter bowl 1 egg at a time, and continue mixing. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and beat again after all eggs have been added to ensure it’s fully incorporated.

Add the buttermilk and rosewater to the butter bowl, mixing until just combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Be careful not to overmix here.

Pour the batter into the parchment lined cake pan, and tap the pan on the counter to pop any large air bubbles. Bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for a bit, then loosen the edges with a thin knife or spatula and flip it onto a cooling rack. Let it cool at room temperature for at least 1 hour before decorating.

Make the glaze by combining the powdered sugar, rosewater, and citrus juice until completely smooth.

Place the cooled cake bottom-side-up on the serving platter, then pour the glaze on top. Smooth it out to the edges using a spatula, then sprinkle with pistachios and rose petals before it fully sets. Serve immediately at room temperature.

Notes

A fragrant Persian cake with subtle floral flavors that’s a nice departure from more familiar cakes. The exact origins of this recipe are unknown, possibly being an adaptation of a Portuguese cake in the 16th century. There’s a folktale in Iran that this cake was made by a woman trying to get a prince to fall in love with her. Either way, this is a great cake with exotic and well balanced flavors.