Flourless Persian Love Cake

Sue Maree P -

The essence of a Persian love cake is the spices; cardamom, cinnamon, hints of rose, lemon and almond. I wanted to create a flourless Persian Love cake recipe and this cake is super moist made with ground almonds and decorated with cream cheese icing and decorated with pistachios and rose petals. I am sure this would be a delicious cake to try baking any time of year, no need for a special occasion.

What's The Story Behind the Persian Love Cake?

There's a legend that a woman baked a cake like this to charm a Persian Prince to fall in love with her. Apparently, the cake is meant to be enchanted, with love in every bite. I asked my Persian friend and she has never heard of the cake. So perhaps, either the legend is made up, or the women's baking was so bad that the Prince didn't fall for her at all. Who knows? Maybe the Prince fell in love with someone else. I can guarantee that you will fall in love with the taste of this cake.

Ingredients for Cake

  • Ground almonds – 200g
  • Unsalted butter – 125g
  • Castor sugar – 75g
  • Dark Brown sugar – 75g
  • Eggs – 2
  • Greek yoghurt – 75g
  • Ground cardamom – 3/4 tsp
  • Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
  • Baking powder – 3/4 tsp
  • Lemon Zest – 1/2 of a lemon

Cream Cheese Icing

  • Sifted icing sugar – 125g (about 1/2 cup)
  • Philadelphia Cream Cheese – 180g small tub
  • Red gel colouring (or raspberry juice) – 1/4 tsp
  • Crushed rose petals – 1-2 tbsp
  • Chopped pistachios – 1-2 tbsp
  • Lemon juice – 1-2 tsp
  • Rosewater (optional) – 1/4 tsp

Method

  1. OVEN: preheat 160˚C grease and line a 20cm cake tin. If using a springform cake tin add a layer of foil to the outside base to catch any leaks.
  2. WHIP – sugars and butter until light and creamy
  3. MIX – eggs, yoghurt, and zest in a jug then pour into the butter mix and blend until combined.
  4. WHISK ground almonds, spices, and baking powder in a separate bowl to ensure all ingredients are blended before adding into the mixture.
  5. FOLD in the almond mix until combined.
  6. SPOON into a cake tin and ensure the base of the tin is lined with foil.
  7. BAKE for 20-25mins until golden
  8. COOL before adding icing
  9. MIX the sifted icing sugar, cream cheese, juice and rose water
  10. SPOON onto the cooled cake, the icing should be thick and don't ice the sides of the cake
  11. SPRINKLE with chopped nuts, petals and a little more lemon zest if desired.
  12. REST and chill before serving.
  13. STORE covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.