Description
Persian Love Cake is a fragrant and moist dessert blending the nutty flavors of almond meal and semolina with warm spices like cardamom and nutmeg. Enhanced with orange zest, pistachios, and a delicate rosewater-infused lemon syrup, this cake is a delightful treat perfect for special occasions or an elegant afternoon tea.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake:
- 2 cups (200g) almond meal (almond flour)
- 1 1/2 cups (165g) semolina
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
- 120g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup (150g) white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (250g) plain yoghurt
- Zest of one orange
- 50g (2 oz) raw pistachios, chopped or slivered (or almonds)
Syrup:
- 1/3 cup (85 ml) lemon juice
- 1/3 cup (70g) white sugar
- 1 tsp+ rosewater (adjust to taste, start with less)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) standard or 160°C (320°F) fan. Grease and line a 22cm (9″) cake pan to prevent sticking.
- Combine dry ingredients: In a bowl, mix almond meal, semolina, baking powder, ground nutmeg, and ground cardamom until well combined to distribute the spices evenly.
- Cream butter and sugars: Using an electric beater, beat the room temperature butter with both brown and white sugars until light and fully incorporated. This step adds moisture and sweetness to the cake batter.
- Add eggs, yoghurt, and zest: Beat in the eggs until the mixture is smooth. Then add the plain yoghurt and orange zest, continuing to beat to combine everything into a smooth batter.
- Incorporate dry ingredients: Fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients gently until just combined to avoid overmixing, which could result in a tougher cake texture.
- Pour batter and add pistachios: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly. Scatter the chopped or slivered pistachios evenly on top for a crunchy texture and nutty flavor.
- Bake the cake: Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, indicating the cake is fully cooked.
- Prepare and apply syrup: While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup by placing lemon juice, white sugar, and rosewater into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and stir until the sugar dissolves completely, then simmer for 2 minutes. Keep warm for pouring.
- Poke and soak: Once the cake is baked, poke 30 to 40 holes all over its surface using a skewer, going all the way through the cake. Pour the warm syrup over the hot cake, allowing it to soak into the holes. Let the cake rest in the pan for at least 1 hour to absorb the syrup fully.
- Cool and serve: After soaking, remove the cake from the pan and let it cool completely. Optionally decorate with dried rose petals, dust with icing sugar, or drizzle with lemon glaze before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Ensure the butter is at room temperature for smooth creaming with sugar.
- The skewer holes help the syrup penetrate deeply, making the cake moist and flavorful.
- Adjust rosewater quantity in the syrup depending on preference; it has a strong floral flavor.
- Semolina gives the cake a unique texture and slight bite; do not substitute with all-purpose flour.
- For garnish, raw or toasted pistachios both work well.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Persian
Keywords: Persian Love Cake, almond cake, semolina cake, cardamom cake, rosewater syrup cake, nutty cake, moist cake, Middle Eastern dessert
