Persian Love Cake (and Persian Love Cake Truffles)

 

Legend has it that this cake, was made by a woman to make a prince fall in love with her. After having finally tried this cake, I can believe that he did, in fact, fall for this woman who definitely knew her way around the kitchen. 

This cake is perhaps one of my favorite cakes out there. The whispering layers of spices and a gentle touch of sweetness is what my recipe brings to your pallet. This love cake is an honor to Persian staples in the sweetest form. The earthy cardamom, bright rosewater, humming saffron, and nutty nudge of almond meal make each bite a little trip to ancient Persia. 

I made my own recipe because I truly have too many opinions and desires to listen to someone else. My version of the cake is very low in sugar, not too rose water-y and you can still enjoy the whispers of cardamom and saffron seducing you in the background.  I also added the whipped cream because I feel it freshens up the notes in the cake (sounds paradoxical but I swear it does). The glaze on the top is the sugar that is missing in the cake. To me this is a balance I can handle. I hope you are able to make and enjoy this cake. 

INGREDIENTS

.5 cup butter

.5 cup oil

1cup sugar

4 eggs

1cup almond flour

1cup flour

1/2 tsp cardamom

1/8 tsp ground saffron 

1 tsp vanilla 

2 tablespoons rose water

1/2 cup whole fat Greek yogurt

2 tsp baking powder

Glaze

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp rose water 

1 1/2 tsp water 

Cream

Whipping cream 8 oz 

Rose water 1 tbs 

Cardamom .5 tsp

vanilla 1 tsp

Topping 

Pistachio 

Dried edible roses 

Bake at 350

Use a bunt. I used 1 9X13 inch sheet pan.

FUNDABBLER FACT

Traditionally rose hips have greater medicinal value than the petals. According to Live Strong, ancient Chinese medicine used roses to treat digestive disorders, the pain from injuries and menstrual irregularities.

DIRECTIONS

I whisked my dry ingredients separately and then my wet ingredients as well. Then combine.

I'm going to talk a bit about saffron: the quality of your saffron is what determines the amount you use. The color and the flavor is so important and is correlated to the origin of it. I have tried Spanish saffron. Some of the saffron from Spain is barely useable for tea steeping, others pretty darn good (in comparison to the ideal Persian Saffrons). Traditionally saffron needs to be bloomed, so either "washed" with an ice cube or the other extreme steeped in a bit of warm water to allow it to bloom. The color and flavors are deepen when bloomed. I did NOT bloom my saffron in this recipe, because I didn't have time and STILL my cake turned yellow, and you could definitely smell and taste the saffron. So pick your battles and your challenges, don't let the new spice intimidate you. Just use it and enjoy your beautiful cake!

I poured the cake NOT into the traditional bunt, but into a 9x13in sheet cake! 

I used various sized heart shaped cookie cutters to layer my cake with for individual portions. 

While the cake cools, I whip up my cream with the cardamom, rose water and vanilla as well as prepare my glaze. I don't like the texture with the added dairy like many recipes call for. I tried it both ways and prefer the thicker version with simply rose water and water. 

I made 3 sizes, one large, 2 medium and 2 small heart cakes with two layers and topped with edible dried roses and pistachios. 

After layering my cakes, I used the extra left-over glaze as I would a buttercream to make cake truffles (I'm calling them cake truffles because the purist in me won't allow these to be called cake pops). 

The tiny bit of glaze added to my crumbled retailles made it malleable and not crumbly so I easily formed them into balls. When the glaze dried, it kept the balls nicely intact while allowing for the moistness to remain in the cake truffles. Super super yummy. 

I topped the truffles with glaze and crushed rose petals and powdered pistachios. 

Delicious and a fabulous treat for any occasion. Seriously a trip to Persia in every bite. 

May you always find a reason to love and a reason to celebrate with those you love. And may this cake give you a reason to seduce the love of your life.

ENJOY!