You’re going to fall in love with this Persian Love Cake!!! Made with semolina and almond meal with a hint of citrus and subtle spices, this cake is soaked with hot syrup to make it moist and add sweetness.
Straightforward to make, a beautiful cake for afternoon tea or to finish off a Persian or Middle Eastern themed meal – try these slow cooked Persian Lamb Shanks and Crispy Saffron Rice!
Welcome to the 3rd and final instalment of PERSIAN WEEK! A week in which I’m sharing 4 recipes so you can make your very own Persian feast at home!!
Here’s what’s on the menu for your Persian Feast:
Persian Lamb Shank recipe – the main event! Braised until fall apart tender in a beautiful aromatic broth. Incredibly easy with every day spices you’ll find at any supermarket!
Persian Saffron Rice – that golden, crispy beauty… and it tastes as amazing as it looks!!!
Persian Cucumber Tomato Salad (in the Lamb Shanks recipe)- lovely and fresh, with a little sprinkle of Sumac for a touch of Persian exoticness; and
Persian L♥ve Cake (today’s recipe)- made with semolina and almond meal, this cake is soaked with a lemon-rosewater syrup, with a hint of citrus and spice flavours. You’re going to LOVE this Persian Looooove cake!
AND SO THE STORY GOES…
A Persian girl madly in love with a Prince made a beautiful cake with magical powers to make him fall in love with her.
As for whether it worked – I never got to the bottom of that. Some say they lived happily ever after, others say he never returned her love – though hopefully she got to eat the whole cake herself.
Now – I can’t promise that this cake has magical powers to woo your secret crush (whether it be George Clooney or a boy band) but I can promise that it tastes as enchanting as that story (despite the unsatisfying ending to the fairytale!!)
ABOUT THIS PERSIAN LOVE CAKE
This is a cake is made with semolina and almond meal instead of the usual flour. It has subtle spicing from cardamom and nutmeg, a hint of citrus from orange and some lovely tang from lemon in the syrup.
Most people say that the best part about making this cake is pouring the syrup over the cake when it’s fresh out of the oven so it soaks right through, adding sweetness as well as moisture.
I’d argue that and say that the most satisfying part is jabbing lots and lots of holes in the cake.
It’s totally not in the spirit of a Persian Love Cake. More Basic Instinct, really.
But I cannot lie. It’s my favourite part! (Other than eating it, of course). – Nagi x
PS Decorated the Persian way with dried edible rose petals from Essential Ingredient, my favourite gourmet food store. I spend hours in there every time I go and always treat myself to something a little special. Last time it was the pictured rose petals. 🌹🌹🌹
A PERSIAN FEAST
Persian Lamb Shanks | Tachin – Saffron Baked Rice | Persian Chopped Salad (in Lamb Shanks recipe) | This Persian L♥ve Cake
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Persian Love Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) almond meal (almond flour)
- 1 1/2 cups (165g) semolina
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1.5 tsp ground cardamom
- 120g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter , at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar , packed
- 3/4 cup (150g) white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup (250g) plain yoghurt
- Zest of one orange
- 50g / 2 oz raw pistachios , chopped or slivered (or almonds)
Syrup:
- 1/3 cup (85 ml) lemon juice
- 1/3 cup (70g) white sugar
- 1 tsp+ rosewater (adjust to taste, start with less)
Instructions
- Preheat oven 180C/350F (standard) or 160C/320F (fan). Grease and line a 22cm/9″ cake pan.
- Mix almond meal, semolina, baking powder, nutmeg and cardamon in bowl.
- Beat butter and both sugars with an electric beater until incorporated. Add eggs, beat until smooth. Then add yoghurt and orange zest, beat until smooth.
- Add dry ingredients. Stir until mixed through.
- Pour into pan, smooth surface. Scatter over pistachios.
- Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour, until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Poke 30 – 40 holes all over the cake using a skewer (poke all the way through). Pour warm syrup over while cake still hot. Leave to soak for 1 hour+ before removing from pan. Cool then slice to serve.
- Pictured decorated with dried rose petals. Alternative: no decorations (pistachios alone look great!), dust with icing / confectionary sugar, of a Lemon Glaze (use this one)
Syrup:
- Place ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer and stir to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes. Keep warm (or reheat) for pouring.
Recipe Notes:
- General note: cakes made without flour like this can tend to be a bit crumbly and dry. This cake is not – the moisture comes from the syrup poured over the cake while it’s hot!
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
Me – in Vietnam.
Dozer – with the golden retriever boarder, running wild with his friends.
Nagi… you are AMAZING! I am absolutely in love with your recipes. This one was no exception. I had tried some Persian Love Cake at a small cafe in town a few months ago, and I just had to look for a recipe. Was delighted when I found out you had your own version.
It was simple to make and was fragrant and moist. Absolutely delicious.
I actually made your Shredded Beef Chilli today – the house smells amazing right now!
Hi Nagi. I love your recipes. Just baked the cake and it sunk in the middle, what could I have done wrong? I noticed the pistachios were concentrated there. Could that be the problem? Thanks in advance.
Another successful recipe! You are so clever and a master baker, thank you so much Nagi!
Wahoo, thanks so much Katherine, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! N x
My son has celiac disease what can I use instead of the semolina
Hi Ellen, sorry you need the semolina for this cake as it’s a major component. N x
Hi, I have a Bad nut allergy. Can I use plain flour instead of the almond flour? And obviously omit the pistachios?
Hi Louise, not for this recipe sorry – it needs the almond flour to keep it moist. N x
Thank you so much for your lovely recipe. I have wanted to make this cake for ages and came across your blog. It was super easy to make and turned out perfectly! Absolutely delicious 👍
I love all your recipes and I am about to make the Persian Love cake my mouth is watering at the thought, may I ask the tablespoon of baking powder seems a lot,
Hi Pat – you need it here as almond flour is quite dense and needs more lift than regular flour. N x
This cake turned out perfectly. I thought it would be crumbly but it wasn’t. Very moist and fragrant flavours. I used orange juice instead of lemon in the syrup but everything else exactly as recipe.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Katrina!! N x
Hi Nagi, Love your recipes and website (and Dozer! I have a couple 4-pawed sous chefs too! 😀); you are my go-to resource for all of my cooking! Couple questions for the Persian Love Cake…I see in the comments that semolina is key, but my stores are out of it here in Denver, due to the virus. I’m going to try it with bread flour and see how it goes. Do you think that will work? Do you have a good US or online (not Amazon) source for rose water and edible rose petals? Can’t find either here, even at Whole Foods. I made my own with what I believe to be organic roses but am a little hesitant to use it. Any ideas are super appreciated, as are your wonderful recipes, as always!
Hi, if I have a nut allergy, what can I replace the almond flour with?
Can you tell me if Persion love cake can be frozen?
Can you make if Persion Tachin can be made ahead of time. Thanks Jenny
Hi Jenny, the cake can be frozen – however I would hold off from pouring the syrup onto it until after you defrost it. Once thawed, heat in the microwave then top with the warm syrup. The tachin is best serves fresh when you get that crunchy layer of rice straight out of the oven 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi do you think could sub the butter with a flavourless oil instead to lower the saturated fat content, thanks
Thank you for this recipe. The cake was easy to make, super moist and oh so tasty. 2 things I changed about the recipe. I put 50 gm of pistachios through the food processor to get “pistachio meal” and added that to the cake with a little less almond meal and semolina. The other thing I did is use orange juice instead of lemon when making the syrup. So good
Sounds great Natalie! N x
Hi Nagi,
If I’m to make this cake gluten free, can I replace the semolina with any other alternative? Would adding more almond meal work?
I haven’t tried Sarah – semolina is a significant ingredient here unfortunately. N x
Hi Nagi,
I don’t have a stand mixer or hand mixer at the moment – do I need one for this recipe? Is it an issue if I beat the butter eggs sugar by hand, or will it not be fluffy enough?
Thanks,
Nidhi
Hi Nidhi, a little elbow grease and you’ll be fine! Love to know how it turns out! N x
Hi Nagi!
Just wanted to let you know that I made this for a dinner party over the weekend and it was a HUGE hit – dish of the evening (as all your dishes are).
I’ve been cooking your dishes almost exclusively for the last year and every single one is so unbelievably amazing and tasty! I’m a huge fan of yours Nagi – keep up the great work.
Hi,
What Is the alternative option for Samolina?
Thanks
Hi Arefah – sorry you need the semolina for this cake 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
The recipe looks delicious but I was wondering if there is a way to make an egg-free version. What would be the best substitute?
Thanks for your advice!
I was fretting the cake would be crumbly but it turned out great! So moist and delicious. Make sure to follow the instructions and it’ll be fine.
I’m so glad you gave it a go Mae! N x
Hi Nagi, I just love all your recipes, not that I’ve made them all yet, give me time! I made the Persian Love cake for my daughter-in-laws 30th birthday, and it was just lovely. Keep up the good work!
I’m so glad you loved it Kathryn!
I had my first slice of Persian Love cake in a restaurant and fell in love and had to make it myself. I found this recipe and followed it exactly. Taste is beautiful but was hoping it to be more moist. Was quiet crumbly. Perhaps more syrup next time. Would juice if an orange work better than lemon juice? Lovely but didn’t WOW me!
Hi Michelle, sorry it didn’t wow you, did you follow the recipe exactly or make any changes? – N x
Hi Nagi, many thanks for the wonderful recipes which have become family favourites, regarding the Persian love cake is it ok to replace the semolina with polenta and if so how much? ta
Hi Peter, I find polenta too grainy unfortunately!- N x