Persian Love Cake
This Persian Love Cake is a moist and flavorful cake. Its incredible texture comes from almond flour, while the ground cardamom, rosewater, and lemon zest infuse it with an unforgettable, aromatic flavor. The cake is finished with a luscious lemon and rosewater glaze and then beautifully adorned with chopped pistachios and dried edible rose petals.
Servings: 10 Servings
Calories: 509kcal
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons rosewater
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
Glaze:
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- Roughly chopped pistachios for garnishing (optional)
- Dried rose petals for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°c. Line the base and sides of a 9 inch round cake tin with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the flour, almond meal, cornstarch, baking powder, ground cardamom and salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined and set aside.
- Add the softened butter and granulated sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on a high speed with a flat beater attachment for 3 minutes, or until pale and creamy. Add the eggs and beat on a medium speed until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula as necessary to ensure everything is well incorporated.
- Add the buttermilk, rosewater and lemon zest to the cake mixture, along with half of the dry ingredients. Mix on a low speed until just starting to combine, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Beat on a low speed until just combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked through. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, add the powdered sugar, lemon juice and rosewater to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined, adding extra lemon juice if needed to reach a drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled cake. Decorate with the chopped pistachios and dried rose petals, if using.
Notes
- It’s important not to over-mix the cake batter to keep this cake light and fluffy.
- The cake is cooked through if it springs back when lightly touched in the center. Alternatively, a skewer or toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cake. If the skewer or toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached, the cake is cooked through.
- The glaze may require additional lemon juice to reach a drizzling consistency. If the glaze becomes too runny, add a small amount of additional powdered sugar.
- A large mixing bowl and hand-held electric beaters can be used in place of a stand mixer.
Nutrition
Calories: 509kcal | Carbohydrates: 79g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 229mg | Potassium: 202mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 371IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg