Description
Persian Love Cake is an aromatic and elegant dessert that combines fragrant saffron, rose-water, cardamom, and almonds to create a moist and flavorful bundt cake. Topped with a tart lemon glaze, sprinkled with pistachios and rose petals, this Middle Eastern-inspired cake is perfect for celebrations or a special treat.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cake
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup ground almonds (almond flour or almond meal)
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1½ tsp rose-water
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- A generous pinch saffron, crushed
- ½ cup milk, warmed
For the Lemon-Rose Syrup
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp rose-water
For the Lemon Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tbsp lemon juice
For Decoration
- 2 tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp dried rose petals (or fresh organic rose petals)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease and flour a large bundt or fluted cake pan, then set aside.
- Infuse saffron in milk: Warm the milk slightly and stir in the crushed saffron strands. Let it stand while preparing the other ingredients to allow the milk to absorb the saffron flavor and develop a golden hue.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar on high speed for a few minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add eggs and ground almonds: Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Along with each egg, spoon in some ground almonds to prevent curdling and maintain batter consistency.
- Incorporate yogurt, rose-water, and lemon zest: Add Greek yogurt, rose-water, and lemon zest to the mixture and beat until fully combined.
- Sift dry ingredients and combine: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom powder. Gradually add this to the wet mixture along with the cooled saffron-infused milk. Mix until smooth but do not over-mix.
- Transfer batter and bake: Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Tap the pan gently on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F, then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F and continue baking for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the pan onto a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.
- Prepare lemon-rose syrup: While the cake is finishing baking, combine sugar, lemon juice, and rose-water in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the syrup thickens slightly.
- Brush syrup on cake: Brush the warm syrup evenly over the warm cake. Allow the cake to cool before applying the glaze.
- Make lemon glaze: In a bowl, mix powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice using a whisk or spatula until smooth. Add more lemon juice as needed to achieve a thick yet drip-friendly consistency.
- Glaze and decorate: Pour the lemon glaze over the cooled cake, letting excess glaze drip down the sides. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals over the top.
- Serve and store: Slice and serve the cake. Store covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerate for longer preservation.
Notes
- Ground almonds can be homemade by finely grinding blanched almonds or you can substitute with store-bought almond flour or almond meal.
- For a variation, orange-blossom water, orange juice, and orange zest can replace rose-water, lemon juice, and lemon zest respectively.
- The cake is baked at two different temperatures to avoid over-browning; alternatively, bake entirely at 350°F but tent the top with foil if it browns too quickly. Minor cracking on top is normal and will be hidden when inverted.
- Fresh organic rose petals can be used instead of dried rose petals for decoration for a fresher look and taste.