Are you in the mood for love? Well whether you like it or not, tomorrow is St. Valentines Day, a day on which we all display our love and affection for our sweetheart.

I’m in love and I would hope that my husband loves me too, but shouldn’t we be expressing our love for each other every day of the year, rather than hoarding up our emotions for an annual outburst on February 14th?

I hate to sound like a cynic, but this year I will be avoiding the pricey hallmark cards, the delivery man drowning in red roses, the restaurants decked out with candlelit tables for two, and even the chocolate shop – shock, horror, gasp!

This year I would much prefer to spend Valentines evening as I like to enjoy every other, by drawing the curtains, battening down the hatches, and curling up on the sofa with my beau. In the words of the mighty Ali G, this year I’m going to “keep it real”. And what better way to a man’s heart than through his stomach?! So this Valentines I’ll be baking him this deliciously romantic Persian Love Cake – perfect!

What gives this dreamy cake such a title? Well, are you sitting comfortably? Then I shall begin…

…once upon a time, there was a Persian woman who fell madly in love with a prince. To make him fall in love with her she baked him this cake, filled with magical love powers. Did they live happily ever after? Well that, no matter how hard I look, I cannot find out, but many years later this cake is now served as a symbol of undying love – see, I am a romantic at heart!

Filled with the aromatic Persian flavours of rose and pistachio, it is impossible to resist being enamoured by this exquisitely seductive cake. With hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom, which is said to have aphrodisiac properties (Cleopatra burnt cardamom incense whenever Mark Antony visited), this cake is sure to ignite some passion into your Valentines evening!

Serve your Valentine a slice of Persian Love Cake with lashings of delicately flavoured Rose Cream and you’ll be guaranteed to win their heart!

Happy Valentines Day!

To make the Persian Love Cake, start by pre-heating the oven to 360°F (180°C), then butter and line an 8″ springform cake tin with baking paper.

In a bowl, mix together the almond meal, sugars and salt to combine evenly. Add the butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs – be sure to infuse the mixture with copious amounts of love too!

Spoon half of the mixture into the cake tin and press down gently to cover the base evenly.

To the remaining mixture, add the egg, yoghurt and spices, and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy. Pour this mixture over the prepared base, and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.

Bake until golden brown and just set, approximately 30 minutes. Allow to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack, before gently removing and transfer to a serving plate.

Slice and serve with fragrant rose flavoured cream. To make the Rose Cream simply place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer,  beat the cream until peaks form.

Persian Love Cake

• Servings: 6
• Time: 50mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Ingredients:

Persian Love Cake:

180g Almond Meal
110g Demerara Sugar
110g Brown Sugar
½ Tsp Salt 
60g Unsalted Butter, Softened
1 Egg
125g Greek Yoghurt
½ Tsp Ground Cinnamon
½ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
½ Tsp Ground Cardamom
2 Tbsp Shelled Pistachios, Roughly Chopped

Rose Cream:

2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
2/3 Cup Powdered Sugar 
½ Tsp Rose Water
¾ Tsp Ground Cardamom 

Instructions:

To Make the Persian Love Cake:

Preheat the oven to 360°F (180°C), then butter and line an 8″ springform cake tin with baking paper.

In a bowl, mix together the almond meal, sugars and salt to combine evenly.

Add the butter and rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Spoon half the mixture into the cake tin and press down gently to cover the base evenly.

To the remaining mixture, add the egg, yoghurt and spices, and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and creamy.

Pour this mixture over the prepared base, and sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.

Bake until golden brown and just set, approximately 30 minutes.

Allow to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack, before gently removing and transfer to a serving plate.

To Make the Rose Cream:

Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream until peaks form.

Persian Love Cake recipe courtesy of Sarah Cooks.