The Legend!
Once upon a time, a Persian woman fell in love with a prince and baked him a cake to bewitch him! She put a magic potion loaded with magical love powers in every bite! Legend has it that the prince loved the enchanted cake so much that he immediately fell in love with the woman.
However, there are two sides to this fairytale. The other version says the prince did not return her love, so the woman ate the cake alone! And this is how this delicious treat we call the Persian Love Cake was born!
How to Make the Love Cake
It only takes 20 minutes to prepare this cake and 10 minutes to decorate! Here is a short step-by-step for how to make this cake:
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix using a whisk.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened, room-temperature butter with the sugar, lemon zest, oil, and eggs using. Add the cardamom, vanilla extract, and rose water, and mix.
- Add the yogurt and flour mixture and mix. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the low, middle rack for 40 – 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Immediately invert the pan onto a cooling rack to prevent further cooking. Allow 20 minutes of cooling before evening and decorating the cake. Et voila!
The Perfect Garden Tea Party Cake!
When I first tried this cake, it felt like I was sitting at a Middle Eastern garden tea party a few centuries ago! Why? That scrumptious cardamom rose scent mixed with the tangy-floral sweetness is just heavenly! And honestly, I believe the prince most probably ended up loving that woman back because it is truly enchanting! (yes, I’m still thinking about the story, haha)
Serve your cake with a cup of tea, preferably green or herbal. I prefer almond or jasmine-flavored teas as they pair perfectly with this recipe. Enjoy!
Persian Love Cake
Equipment
- 9" round baking pan
- electric or standing mixer
Ingredients
- 1 – 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 1 – 1/2 tsp baking powder
- a pinch of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted room temperature butter
- 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp lemon zest (about 1/2 large lemon – optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 – 1/2 Tbsp rose water
- 1/3 cup yogurt
The Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar (sifted)
- 1 – 1/2 Tbsp milk
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp rose water
Decorating Ingredients
- chopped pistachios
- edible rose petals
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of a 9" round baking pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with baking spray.
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and mix using a whisk.
- In a separate bowl, beat the softened, room-temperature butter with the sugar, lemon zest, oil, and eggs using an electric mixer on medium until soft and fluffy. (about 2 minutes).
- Add the cardamom, vanilla extract, and rose water, and mix on low for 30 seconds.
- Add the yogurt and flour mixture. Mix gradually from low to medium to high for one to two minutes. The batter will be slightly thick.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the low, middle rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Immediately invert the pan onto a cooling rack to prevent further cooking. Allow 20 minutes of cooling before evening and decorating the cake.
Making the Glaze
- Whisk the lemon juice with rose water and milk. Next, add the sifted sugar gradually as you continue whisking. Adjust the consistency by adding milk or sugar.
- Decorate with some chopped pistachios and rose petals.
Are you looking for more tea-party options? Here is my favorite recipe!
Did you make the Persian Love Cake? Tag @petitapron on Instagram and tell me how it turned out for you!
Very nice 😍
Thank you so much!❤️