Persian Love Cake

25 mins Prep Time

45 mins Cook Time

Written By

Tara Omidvar

There is a story behind Persian Love Cake. Legend has it that a woman baked the cake to win the heart of a Persian Prince. As the name and story suggest, this is a perfect cake to bake for someone special.

If you had your share of chocolate cake on Valentine's Day over the years, then perhaps it's time to elevate your game and make something more enchanting!

This cake is rich, moist and decadent with a hint of rose and cardamom. There are different versions of this cake and they are primarily with lemon juice, but I have my own version, which is with orange juice. It's also blood orange season, so I made my glaze with blood orange to give it a more romantic look.

Ingredients

Cake

3/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup almond flour
Zest of one orange
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons rosewater
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
Crushed pistachios, for decoration
Dried rose petals, for decoration

Glaze

1 cup icing sugar
3 tablespoons blood orange juice

Directions

Persian Love Cake

14 Steps

Step 1

Butter a 9-inch cake pan and cover the bottom with parchment pepper.
Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 3

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and sugar. Use the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until light and fluffy.
Step 4

Stop the mixer and crack the eggs into the bowl. Keep whisking for another 4-5 minutes or until everything is mixed well.
Step 5

Sift the flour, almond flour, ground cardamom, baking powder, baking soda and salt into the mixer bowl.
Step 6

Whisk for another 1-2 minutes or just enough that everything is mixed well together.
Step 7

Add the orange zest, orange juice and rosewater. Whisk for another 1 minute.
Step 8

Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan. With a spatula, flatten the top evenly.
Step 9

Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and passes the toothpick test.
Step 10

Take the cake out and let it cool down.
Step 11

In the meantime, grab a medium bowl and add icing sugar and blood orange juice to it. Mix with a fork or whisk to form a smooth paste. Add more blood orange juice as needed to make it into a thick but dripping consistency.
Step 12

Once the cake has cooled down, flip it onto the serving plate. Pour the glaze all over the cake.
Step 13

Decorate it with crushed pistachios and dried rose petals.
Step 14

Enjoy!