Persian Love Cake

Persian Love Cake is exactly as romantic as it sounds. It’s rich, moist, and nutty, with distinct floral tones from rose water and a hint of citrus from lemon zest. The moist almond cake batter comes together quickly in one bowl and is delicious served on its own. But make it even better with a simple lemon glaze drizzled on top with crushed pistachios and rose petals sprinkled throughout. This Persian Love Cake is truly a showstopper.

Why You’ll Love Persian Love Cake

• It’s perfect for any occasion. This Persian Love Cake is the dessert version of a love potion. It’s perfect for Valentine’s Day, anniversary celebrations, and Mother’s Day, and the rose petals on top are only a part of the reason why. But you can serve it anytime you are feeling fancy.
• It has the best texture. Persian Love Cake is rich, moist and fluffy. This cake is super moist and gets this texture from the ground almonds, yogurt, and rose water too. It cuts into clean slices for the perfect romantic photo op, and it tastes just as good as it looks.
• The complex and unique flavors. Persian Love Cake is truly unique. It’s sweet, nutty, and citrusy — gaining its flavor profile from almond, cardamom, lemon, and rose water. Although I usually like to encourage creativity in these recipes, you’ll want to follow this Persian Love Cake recipe to a tee for the best results, but you can creative with the toppings on the glaze.

Ingredients and Substitutions

To make this delicious Persian Love Cake, you will need the following ingredients (full quantities in the recipe card below):

• butter
• granulated sugar
• eggs
• plain yogurt - or substitute with sour cream.
• rose water
• lemon zest
• all-purpose flour
• almond meal - almond meal is essentially ground almonds with the skin on. You can make your own in a heavy duty blender or even substitute for almond flour (which is ground almonds without the skin). The texture of almond meal is slightly coarser than almond flour.
• ground cardamom
• salt
• for the glaze - confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, water, pistachios (or substitute with your favorite nuts like almonds or walnuts), and dried rose petals.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, hand mixer or stand mixer, 9-inch cake pan or springform pan, and wire cooling rack.

How to Make the Best Persian Love Cake

1. Make the batter. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until each is incorporated. Add yogurt, rose water, and lemon zest and beat until incorporated. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour, almond meal, cardamom, and salt. Beat until just combined.
2. Bake. Spray an 8-inch cake pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Transfer the batter into the lined cake pan and spread it smooth with a spatula. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
3. Cool. Allow the cake to chill in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire cooling wrap to cool completely before icing.

How to Glaze a Persian Love Cake

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and water. The icing should be thin enough to pour but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the icing is too thin, add in a little more sugar. If it is too thick, add in a little more milk.
2. Use a spoon to slowly drizzle the glaze over the cooled love cake and sprinkle chopped pistachios and dried rose petals on top.

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Recipe

Persian Love Cake

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Sam Hu | Ahead of Thyme
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 9-12 servings
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

Persian Love Cake is a rich, moist, and nutty almond cake loaded with floral and citrus flavor, topped with a lemon glaze, pistachios, and rose petals. 

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Ingredients

• ⅔ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups almond meal (or almond flour)
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the icing:

• 1 + ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1-2 tablespoons pistachios, chopped
• 1 tablespoon dried rose petals

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Instructions

Make the cake:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer (or stand mixer) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until each is incorporated. Add yogurt, rose water, and lemon zest and beat until incorporated.
3. Turn the mixer to low speed and add the flour, almond meal, cardamom, and salt. Beat until just combined. Note that the batter is very thick.
4. Transfer the batter into the lined cake pan and spread it smooth with a spatula.
5. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Allow the cake to chill in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully transfer it to a wire cooling wrap to cool completely before icing.

Make the icing:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, and water. The icing should be thin enough to pour but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If the icing is too thin, add in a little more sugar. If it is too thick, add in a little more milk.
2. Use a spoon to slowly drizzle the glaze over the cooled love cake and sprinkle chopped pistachios and dried rose petals on top.

Notes

Don’t make substitutions: For the best results, follow this recipe to a tee. If you’re wondering if it’s okay to substitute certain ingredients, I would err on the side of caution and say no. For instance, you don’t want to add in too much rose water so that it doesn’t overpower the cake. And don’t omit anything.

Glazing tips: Never glaze a hot cake. In fact, don’t even glaze a slightly warm cake. Wait until your Persian Love Cake has cooled completely. Glazing while warm will cause the icing to melt down the sides too much or into the cake like a syrup and not set properly.

How to store: You can store Persian Love Cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-5 days.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour
• Category: Cake
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: Persian

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