Persian Love Cake
3 ½ cups or 385 g. almond meal
¾ cup or 110 g. brown sugar
¾ cup or 110 g. Cardamom Pistachio Sugar, plus extra to serve
120 g. butter
at room temperature
2 free range eggs not large
250 g. natural
yoghurt, plus extra to serve
½ tsp. Ground nutmeg
2 tsp. Ground cardamom
Zest of 1 orange
50 g. raw
pistachios, halved
Pre-heat oven to 180ˇC. Grease and line
a 26cm cake pan, which is largish.
In a food processor, pulse together the
almond meal, brown sugar, pistachio cardamom sugar, butter and a pinch of salt
until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Spoon half the mixture into your prepared pan and press down to
form an even base.
Add the eggs, yoghurt, half the orange
zest and spices to the remaining crumb and pulse until smooth and creamy. Pour
over the base, and tap the tin to level the top of the cake.
Sprinkle cardamom pistachio sugar over
the top and bake for 35 – 40 mins or until golden on top.
If adding pistachio halves to decorate, wait
for 15 mins before adding pistachio halves in a pattern on the top (so they
donŐt burn). Return to the oven to finish baking for
another 20-25 minutes or until cake is golden.
Cool in pan on a wire rack. To serve, mix
together yoghurt, remaining orange zest and 1 tsp. of cardamom pistachio sugar.
Pistachio
cardamom sugar
120 g. golden castor sugar
½ tsp cardamom
50 g. pistachios
Blitz together and store in a jar
This cake will keep in an airtight
container for up to a week.