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.
Jan Watts says
Just wondering if i should use almond meal or almond flour as they are different. Thanks !!BTW Love your recipes !!
Phil says
Thank you Nagi for this wonderful recipe, enjoyed by all who tasted it. As with all your recipes, clear, concise and accompanied by useful suggestions. I chose a loaf pan, as my first (round) effort sank a little in the middle.
Un merveilleux gâteau aux saveurs aromatiques.
😎🏖
Eugenie Nakat says
Semolina is not gluten free.
Nina Alahakoon says
Hi Nagi, I was wondering how long this cake keeps? I used to be hopeless at baking, but I’ve made your vanilla cupcakes, carrot cupcakes, and strawberry crumble. People think I can cook now! Haha
Kerstin says
Two questions : almond meal or almond flour? They are not the same apparently…
And is coarse semolina ok, or does it have to be fine?
Thanks!
Anju says
Hi Navi,
I baked your cake this week, it was to die for.
Only thing which went wrong was that it sunk from the middle.
But surely I will do some temperature adjustments next time.
Sylvia says
Hi Nagi, thank you for yet another delicious recipe 😋 I love the crumb and the citrus taste is amazing!
Nagi says
Thanks so much Sylvia, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! N x
Jacinta Murray says
Made this yesterday & it turned out perfect, I was concerned it might sink in the middle as others have said theirs had but it didnt thankfully. Very moist & not too sweet. Will be making again & again.
Jenn says
This looks interesting. I was just wondering if skipping the syrup was an option?
Or is it vital to the end product?
I can see adding if I make this for visitors but if just for myself I wondered…
Nagi says
Hi Jenn, it’s important in this recipe – it’s what keeps the cake deliciously moist. N x
Jenn says
Just saw the not about moisture coming from the syrup… but still curious if it could be optional?
Can these be made into muffins??
Shachi says
Hi.. please tell me the amount of orange zest as every place have different sizes of oranges available.. please mention spoon size or metric.. Thanks
Nagi says
Hi Shachi, it will be about 1-2 tbsp here, it’s not a dealbreaker in the recipe though. If you want a more pronounced flavour, just add more 🙂 N x
Carmel says
I’m not sure about the amount of
Cardamom?
Please help
Nagi says
Hi Carmel, 1.5 tsp ground cardamom as per the recipe ingredients list 🙂 N x
Taysia says
Okay I cannot possibly put into words how much I loved every single thing about this cake. It was lifechangingly good lol I had so much fun making it since it had ingredients I had never tried and I think I’m gonna be making this again and again until I die. It’s such a beautiful, pretty cake too so I’m really excited to make this for special occasions and share with others who maybe haven’t tried anything like this before.
Allyson says
Everything you said. Yes! Yes! Yes! You and I could seriously enjoy this cake together. I’m making it again this weekend for a gathering. The world needs to try this cake.
Taysia says
Yes! I agree. Why is this cake not more well known? It’s beyond me because it is just so damn good. I have made it several times again since then and enjoyed it just as much everytime. I also tried using lemon instead of orange this week as a colleague is allergic to orange and it turned out well but very tangy. Tried it again today with less lemon in the syrup and a bit more cardamom and nutmeg as I felt the extra lemon cut through the spice flavours too much. Will see how this one goes, it’s cooling on the bench now.
Nagi says
Woo hoo!! I am so glad you enjoyed it Allyson! N x
Vanessa says
Hi Nagi
Love all your recipes and my husband is so glad I found your site! I’m wondering if I could sub polenta for semolina to make it gluten-free?
Naz says
Try rice semolina from Indian grocery store.
Nagi says
It’s a different texture so won’t work the same way unfortunately Vanessa – N x
Gayatri says
Delicious!
Ash says
Nagi, there are no words. This is perfection. I sourced some pistachio and mascarpone ice cream to serve it with. Divine.
Nagi says
Absolutely perfect Ash!! N x
Carol says
Can I use a gluten free substitute for semolina?
Nagi says
Hi Carol, sorry this one requires the semolina unfortunately. N x
Eddie says
My new favourite cake !! The combination of flavours in this cake are amazing, and it is sooo moist and delicious. It was a big hit with all my guests asking where I got the recipe : )
jenny Larsen says
easy to make , looks fabulous and is delicious, great for coeliac or gluten intolerant.
Anita says
Semolina is from wheat and has a very high gluten content. This is why it is used for Italian pasta.
It is not great for coeliac or gluten intolerant.
Nagi says
Yes 100% Jenny!! N x
Julia says
Everyone LOVED this, was amazing! Served it as suggested + double cream and was a hit. For me, the best part (out of like, a whole lot of good) is the orange zest. So yum!! <3
Jan says
Oh i made it exactly as said but half way through i opened the oven to move the tin around and it sank!!!
Nagi says
Hi Jan, unfortunately opening the oven causes a sudden temperature drop which can affect the rising of the cake! N x