Don’t you just love it when you have a special occasion to bake for and you know exactly what you’re going to make? I’ve had several events recently where I knew straight away that the almost infamous Persian Love Cake was the way to go. Special events for special people like my sister’s birthday, a fundraiser for Heart Kids, and when a well liked work colleague was moving on.
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| Persian Love Cake |
For those who have already had the pleasure of trying a piece of Persian Love Cake you’ll already know that’s it quite different to any other cake. In fact it’s not really a cake but perhaps more a like a cheesecake, a custard tart or a pumpkin pie as fellow consumers have described. And it plays a little on the sense. First of all the name is intriguing if not alluring. Secondly, it looks inviting with its dark caramelisation against the pretty pistachios. The smell is warm and cosy and certainly if you grind your own nutmeg the entire house smells warm and cosy. Then there’s the uniqueness of the texture. The almond meal and sugar in the base is also used in the filling with the addition freshly ground nutmeg, eggs and yoghurt so both the flavour and texture carries through.
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| Pressing down half the mixture for the base... |
And finally the taste, a taste that hits you immediately then continues to linger as you consume and even for some time afterwards. A taste that sends you somewhere exotic even if you’ve never been there before. And because of the intensity and fragrance of the taste a little bit goes a long way. Which either means plenty of decadence for sharing, or plenty for you to enjoy for up to a week which is apparently how long it will keep, however I’ve never had one last for more than 2 days.
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| Out of the Thermomix bowl and ready to be baked... |
Did I mention is really quick and easy? Here’s the link to the original recipe in Gourmet Traveller from Qom restaurant. My version however has half the amount of sugar and still is very sweet and a slight increase in almonds which I grind for longer to reduce the grittiness I found in my first attempt. I grind my own almonds which I store in the freezer to maintain freshness. This time I decided to dry roast the almonds for a few minutes in the oven as it warmed up which I feel maintained more lightness in the cake.
So what are you waiting for? Invite yourself to something special and get baking.
40g pistachios
1 clove of nutmeg
400g almonds
110g brown sugar
110g raw sugar
1 tsp salt
120g butter cubed
2 free range eggs
250g Greek style yoghurt
Preheat oven to 175° and line a 23cm springform tin with baking paper
Roughly chop pistachios then set aside. (This can be done in the Thermomix by using the Turbo button 3 times but I prefer the more structured look of hand cutting)
Place nutmeg in Thermomix bowl and grind for 15 seconds on speed 9. Set aside
Place almond in Thermomix bowl and mill for 20 seconds on speed 9
Add the sugar and mix for 10 seconds on speed 6
Add the butter and sugar and mix for 15 seconds on speed 5
Pour half mixture into lined springform pan and press (I know half sounds a bit ambiguous but mine measured 12mm – next time I will weight it)
Add eggs and nutmeg to the remaining mix and mix 10 seconds on speed 4 then scrape down
Add yoghurt and mix for a further 10 seconds on speed 4
Pour into tin and scatter pistachios around edge
Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden
Enjoy!
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