Persian Love Cakes from Mezze
The Persian Love Cake is thought to have been made for the Prince of Persia to make him fall in love with the baker. The cake is gluten-free and dairy-free, so it can be enjoyed by many. The cakes will keep for up to two weeks in an airtight container.
SERVES
12
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
15
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
30
MINUTES
Ingredients
- 50g (2oz) raw pistachios
200g (7oz) ground almonds
100g (3 1/2oz) caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cardamom
200ml (7fl oz) sunflower or neutral rapeseed oil
4 free-range eggs
For the syrup:
1 lemon
75g (3oz) caster sugar
3 tablespoons rosewater
For the icing (optional)
1 tbsp lemon juice, reserved from the syrup
2 tsp rosewater
1/2 tbsp cold water (or more if needed)
150g (5oz) icing sugar
To decorate:
rose petals
chopped pistachios
Method
Make the syrup first and allow to cool before the cakes are baked.
Juice the lemon into a measuring jug or small saucepan and reserve 1 tablespoon of juice for the icing.
Top up the juice with water to make 100ml (3 1/2fl oz) of liquid. In the saucepan, combine the juice mixture with the sugar and simmer gently for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. Take it off the heat, add the rosewater and allow to cool.
Preheat the oven to 160ËšC/320ËšF/Gas Mark 3. Grease 12 mini loaf cake tins, a 12-hole muffin tin or 1 x 20cm (8 inch) cake tin with a little oil and line with non-stick baking paper if your tin tends to stick.
Put the pistachios in a food processor and grind until they’re almost as fine as the ground almonds. Don’t overdo it, though, or they’ll start to turn into a paste. Add the ground almonds, sugar, baking powder, cardamom, oil and eggs and pulse until just combined into a batter. Pour the cake batter into the tin(s) and bake in the oven for 20-22 minutes (or 30-35 minutes for a whole cake), until firm and golden brown.
To make the icing, mix the reserved lemon juice with the rosewater and cold water. Sift the icing sugar into a medium bowl and add the juice and rosewater mixture gradually, whisking until the icing is a thick pouring consistency. Add more water or sifted icing sugar if needed.
When the cake is baked, pierce it all over with a skewer and gently pour over the syrup. Allow to cool a little, then remove from the tin(s) onto a cooling rack. Place a tray under the cooling rack and once fully cooled, pour the icing over the top of the cakes, allowing it to drizzle down the sides. Sprinkle with rose petals and chopped pistachios and serve.
