There’s a mythic whiff of Scheherazade around the various suggested origins for Persian love cake, one of which tells of a beauty who baked it for the prince, infused with a kind of magic love potion that made him hers forever. Even if we stick to the more commonly used real-world ingredients, the recipe has undergone various changes across multiple cultures, with semolina added in 16th-century Sri Lanka, and rose water in later Iranian incarnations
| Created by | Spinneys |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 60 minutes |
| Serves | 8-10 |
| Cuisine | Middle Eastern |
| Diet | Other |
| Preparation | Hard |
| Calories | 468 |
| Fat | 22g |
| Saturates | 10.2g |
| Protein | 9.1g |
| Carbs | 61.4g |
| Sugars | 43.2g |
| Given the cook-at-home nature of Spinneys and natural variations in ingredients, nutritional information is approximated. See details | |
Ingredients
Cooking Instructions
Download PDFPreheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Grease and line a 22cm cake pan.
In a large bowl, mix the almond flour, semolina, baking powder, nutmeg and cardamom.
Using an electric beater, beat the butter and both 150g Muscovado sugar and 150g white sugar until well incorporated. Add the eggs and beat until the mixture is smooth. Zest the orange over the mixture. Add the yoghurt and beat until smooth. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until well combined. Pour the batter into the cake pan, smoothing the surface.
Sprinkle the slivered pistachios over the top.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Meanwhile, make the syrup. Place the lemon juice and 70g sugar in a small pot over a medium heat. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until slightly reduced. Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water.
While the cake is still hot, use a skewer to poke 30-40 holes all over the cake, poking all the way through. Pour the warm syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to soak in the syrup for at least 1 hour before removing it from the pan.
Meanwhile, crush the whole pistachios.
Once the cake has cooled completely, sprinkle over the crushed pistachios. Top with the rose petals and serve.
