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Persian love cake
Almond, cardamom and rosewater cake with pistachios and rose petals
Persian love cake is not an old Iranian recipe but a modern one from the Iranian diaspora, popular in cafés in London and Melbourne, built on the flavours of Persian sweets: almond, cardamom, nutmeg, rosewater and pistachio. The name comes from a story about a woman who baked a spell-binding cake for a prince. It has a crunchy almond base and a soft, moist, yogurt-rich top, finished with rose-scented cream, green pistachios and pink petals, and it is lovely for birthdays and Nowruz tea. Made with ground almonds and no wheat flour, it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: press the base layer firmly into the tin; that crunchy bottom is the signature of this cake.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the cake
- 12 ½ oz ground almonds
- 7 oz light brown sugar
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- 4 oz unsalted buttersoft
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggslarge
- 7 oz Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
To finish
- ¾ cup double cream
- 1 tbsp rosewater
- 1 oz pistachiosfinely chopped
- 1 tbsp dried rose petals (optional)food grade
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What you'll need
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Grease a 23 cm springform tin and line the base with baking paper.
Step 2: Rub 12 ½ oz ground almonds, 7 oz light brown sugar, 3 ½ oz caster sugar, 4 oz unsalted butter and ½ tsp salt together with your fingertips for 3–4 minutes, until it looks like damp sand and clumps when squeezed.
4 minStep 3: Tip half of the mixture into the tin and press it down firmly and evenly with the base of a glass. A common mistake is pressing it lightly: a loose base crumbles instead of forming the crisp layer.
Step 4: Beat 2 eggs, 7 oz Greek yogurt, 1 tsp ground nutmeg and 1 tsp ground cardamom into the rest of the almond mixture until smooth and creamy. Pour it over the base and level the top.
Step 5: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden around the edges and a little paler in the centre, which should have only a slight wobble. Cool in the tin; it firms up as it cools.
40 minStep 6: Whip ¾ cup double cream with 1 tbsp rosewater to soft peaks. Spoon over the cold cake or serve alongside, and scatter with 1 oz pistachios and 1 tbsp dried rose petals.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 30 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does persian love cake take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
- What can I use instead of light brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tsp honey or golden syrup per 100g.
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