Persian Love Cake

By The Mediterranean Dish · 90 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cardamom into a large bowl. Add the almond flour and whisk to combine.
3. Beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until pale, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides halfway through.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing each in fully. Beat in the Greek yogurt, then the zest and juice of ½ lemon and ½ orange and the rosewater.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat for a minute or two until thick and cohesive.
6. Spoon the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 40 minutes, until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
7. Cool the cake in the pan for 2 minutes, then turn it onto a wire rack, remove the parchment and let it cool completely, about 1 hour.
8. Whisk the 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, the lemon juice and rosewater until the sugar dissolves. Poke small holes across the cake with a thin skewer, then pour the syrup evenly over it and let it soak in.
9. Stir the powdered sugar with enough lemon juice to make a smooth, thick but pourable icing, then stir in a few drops of rosewater to taste.
10. Spoon the icing over the cake so it runs down the sides. Leave for 5 minutes to set slightly, then decorate with the dried rose petals and crushed pistachios. Leave to set completely before slicing.

Summarized from The Mediterranean Dish's video. Watch it for the details.