At the end of the Middle Eastern Feast Dinner Party, after you’ve enjoyed a spicy Ginger Rogers cocktail and a meal full of rich and bright flavors, you’ll need a dessert that can hold its own. This Persian Love Cake does the trick. I certainly didn’t invent this one, but I definitely claim to have made a few improvements to the original. Here, the chemistry remains largely unaltered, but the flavor has more depth and the rose is more pronounced. Also, I simplify the decorations. A scattering of pomegranate seeds is sufficient. When I have time, I sometimes candy some of the geranium leaves you’ll notice throughout my recipes or ask my florist to order organic roses that I can scatter over the cake, but let’s be honest, that isn’t all that realistic, and the Persian Love Cake is dramatic and gorgeous all on its own.
- 1 cup cake flour
- 9 tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (I like sea salt)
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ¼ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup rose petal spread (you can find it at an Indian grocery store)
- Saffron Cream Frosting
- Preheat oven to 325° F. You need two 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1½-inch-high sides. Prepare the pans with spray oil or butter.
- Beat 2 tablespoons sugar and the rose petal spread until the paste breaks down and becomes smooth.
- Beat in yolks, oil, lemon peel, and cardamom.
- Add flour, baking powder and salt and beat until just smooth. Do not over beat.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 7 tablespoons sugar; beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff.
- Fold whites into batter gradually and gently.
- Divide batter between prepared pans.
- Bake until cakes are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.
- Place one cake layer on your serving plate. Spread with a little less than half of the frosting.
- Top with second cake layer.
- Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
- Chill at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.
- Garnish with pomegranate kernels when you serve it if you aren't up for making sugared rose petals, or can't find edible petals.
- Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap and store at room temperature- when I do this, I leave them in the pans to cool.
- 2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream
- Pinch of saffron threads
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons rose water
- 2 tablespoons boiling water
- Put saffron in boiling water to steep; chill until cold.
- Beat cream, powdered sugar, and rose water in large bowl until soft peaks form.
- Add saffron liquid.
- Beat until peaks form.
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