Persian Love Cake Almond (Printable)

Fragrant almond-cardamom cake with rosewater icing and pistachios. A Persian-inspired dessert perfect for special occasions.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake Components

01 - 2 cups ground almonds (almond meal)
02 - 1 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1 cup caster sugar
04 - 2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 2 large eggs
06 - 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
07 - 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
08 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
09 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
10 - Zest of 1 lemon
11 - 1 tablespoon rosewater

→ Icing & Decoration

12 - 3/4 cup icing sugar
13 - 1-2 tablespoons rosewater
14 - 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
15 - 1 tablespoon dried rose petals

# How to Cook:

01 - Preheat the oven to 340°F. Generously butter an 8-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with parchment paper.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until the mixture becomes pale, light, and fluffy.
03 - Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until fully integrated into the mixture.
04 - Fold in the Greek yogurt, fresh lemon zest, and rosewater until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk together ground almonds, flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt until well blended.
06 - Gently fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients using a spatula, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Avoid overmixing.
07 - Transfer the batter to the prepared cake tin, smoothing the surface evenly. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the center emerges clean.
08 - Allow the cake to rest in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing it to a wire rack for complete cooling.
09 - In a small bowl, whisk icing sugar with rosewater, adding liquid gradually until achieving a thick but pourable consistency.
10 - Drizzle the rosewater icing over the completely cooled cake, then immediately garnish with chopped pistachios and dried rose petals.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of cardamom and rosewater creates this incredibly aromatic experience that fills your whole kitchen while baking
  • Its one of those cakes that actually gets better after sitting for a day, if you can resist eating it immediately
  • The texture is somehow both rich and light, thanks to the ground almonds and yogurt working together
02 -
  • Overmixing after adding the flour makes the texture tough, so fold gently and stop as soon as you no longer see dry patches
  • The cake is done when it's golden and a skewer comes out clean, but start checking at 40 minutes since ovens vary
  • Cooling completely before icing is crucial, otherwise the icing will melt right off and you'll have a mess
03 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional here, they make or break the texture of the final cake
  • If you only have salted butter, reduce the added salt in the recipe by half
  • Good quality rosewater makes all the difference, so skip the grocery store brand if you can find a Middle Eastern market

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