Medically reviewed by Shahzadi Devje, Registered Dietitian (RD) & Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE)
Traditional Persian love cake — a lovers' dream. The fusion of rose scent and cardamom creates an irresistibly fragrant cake that's perfect for any occasion. Super moist, fluffy and made entirely from scratch. With barely 20 minutes of prep, you get ALL the taste - minus the sweat! This is the only Persian Love Cake recipe you'll ever need.
Let me begin by declaring that this is my favourite cake recipe! The Middle Eastern rose-cardamom scent is heavenly and makes my taste buds dance...truly. Plus, this Persian love cake recipe is simple to pull off, takes only 20 minutes of prep time and results in a delicately soft and moist cake. It's the perfect sweet delight to mark any celebration and loved by adults and kids alike. This cake perfectly matches my Desi (South Asian) Chicken Dhansak or Basa Fish recipes and is a match made in heaven with this Falooda recipe.
What Is Persian Love Cake?
I've come across a few variations of the Persian love cake. Typically, the cake is flavoured with rose water, lemon, saffron, cardamom, orange blossom water and pistachios. Some recipes include flour, semolina and almond meal to create a nutty base. Once baked, you can add rose water or saffron glaze - topped with edible rose petals and crushed pistachios.
Every bite has something unique to offer. You'll be smitten.
How to Make Persian Love Cake - Step By Step
You'll notice there are no complicated steps in creating this Persian love cake.
Rose Cake
Here are the steps:
- Cream the butter, sugar, eggs and yogurt for 1-2 minutes at medium speed. I use the whisk attachment on my mixer (images 1-2) to incorporate air. I have noticed that my cake is fluffier when using a whisk versus the paddle attachment.
- Add the cardamom, vanilla, rose water and whisk for 30 seconds or so at low speed (images 3 and 4).
- Now incorporate the flour, almond meal and baking soda and mix for 1 minute (image 5). Start at low speed and build up to medium, then high speed. Halfway through, wipe down the sides with a spatula and mix for another minute or until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Butter and line a 6-inch cake pan with parchment paper and pour the batter (image 6). Using a spatula, flatten the top gently (image 7).
- Send the cake in the oven (middle shelf) at 325°F for 60 minutes. Test to see if it's done by inserting a skewer or fork - it should come out clean.
- Once done, remove from the cake pan, and slice the top to get an even cake (image 8).
Glaze And Decoration
The steps for icing and decorating your cake are even simpler. Here's what you need to do:
- Combine powdered sugar, rose water and milk and mix well (images 1-2).
- Pour gently (bit by bit) over the cake to ensure it's completely coated with the glaze (images 3 and 4).
- Sprinkle with dried rose petals and pistachios (optional) - images 5-6.
Top Tips For Making Persian Love Cake
- For best results, ensure that the butter and eggs are at room temperature.
- Use the whisk attachment versus the paddle to incorporate air. This helps to make the cake soft and fluffy.
- Use fresh cardamom pods and use pestle and mortar to crush. This offers so much more flavour than using store-bought powdered cardamom.
- The position of the rack in the oven is key; make sure you bake the cake on the middle/low shelf. This results in a soft and golden cake - that's baked to perfection.
- Do not open the oven door whilst the Persian cake is baking.
- Once cooked, remove from the cake pan immediately. Because the pan is hot, the cake will continue to cook - even though it's out of the oven. You want to prevent it from overcooking and drying out.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before pouring the glaze.
- Store your Persian love cake in an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for a couple of days or longer if stored in the refrigerator.
More Baking Recipes You Might Like:
- Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Quick and Easy Blueberry Muffins
- Spiced Pumpkin Date Cupcakes
- Banana-Date Oatmeal Cookies
What's your favourite dessert? I'd love to hear how you celebrate special occasions? Have you tried my Persian Love cake recipe before? Comment below!
If you try this blueberry vegan cheesecake recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment, rate it, or share a photo and hashtag with #desiliciousrd on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Can't wait to see your photos.
Persian Love Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- ½ cup butter unsalted, room temperature
- ¾ cup sugar granulated
- 2 eggs medium, room temperature
- ¼ cup yogurt 3% fat, room temperature
- 1 tsp cardamom ground, from fresh pods
- ½ tsp vanilla extract pure
- 1 tbsp rose water
- 1 cup flour all purpose
- ½ cup almond meal
- 1 tsp baking powder
Glaze & Decoration
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1½ tbsp milk
- ½ tsp rose water
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven at 325°F
- Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, cream the butter, sugar, eggs and yogurt for 1-2 minutes, on medium speed. You could use an electric hand whisk for this part, too.
- Add the cardamom, vanilla, rose water and whisk for 30 seconds on low speed
- Incorporate the flour, almond meal and baking powder and continue to whisk for 1 minute; start at low speed and build up to medium then high speed. Halfway through the whisking, wipe down the sides with a spatula, and continue to mix for another minute or until the ingredients are well combined
- Butter and line a 6-inch cake pan with parchment paper and pour the cake batter into the pan. Using a spatula, flatten the top
- Send the cake in the oven (middle/low shelf) at 325°F for 60 minutes. Test to see if it's done by inserting a skewer or fork - it should come out clean
- Once done, remove from the cake pan immediately to prevent further cooking. Allow the cake to cool before slicing the top to achieve a flat surface
Glaze & Decoration
- Mix together powdered sugar, rose water and milk
- Pour the glaze carefully over the cake
- Sprinkle with dried rose petals and chopped pistachios (optional)
Notes
- For best results, ensure all the ingredients are at room temperature
- Use the whisk attachment versus the paddle to incorporate air. This helps to make the cake soft and fluffy
- Use fresh cardamom pods and use pestle and mortar. This offers so much more flavor than using store-bought powdered cardamom
- The position of the rack in the oven is key; make sure you bake the cake on the middle/low shelf. This results in a soft, and golden cake - that's baked to perfection
- Do not open the oven door regularly whilst it's baking. Once is ok if you need to check
- Once cooked, remove from the cake pan immediately. Because the pan is hot, the cake will continue to cook - even though it's out of the oven. You want to prevent it from overcooking and drying out
- Allow the cake to cool completely before pouring the glaze
- Store your Persian love cake in an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for a couple of days, or longer if stored in the refrigerator
Please note the nutritional analysis values are estimates and suggestions. This nutrition facts table does not know your life - your body, including your hunger and satiety cues, change daily. It's okay to eat more or less. Say no to food guilt and instead embrace mindful eating.
Shahzadi is an award-winning registered dietitian (RD) regulated by the College of Dietitians of Ontario and certified diabetes educator (CDE), approved by the Canadian Diabetes Educator Certification Board. A YouTuber and notorious foodie, she's dedicated to helping you end your cooking wars, transform your health, and be the best version of yourself! Shahzadi is an on-air nutrition expert for CTV Your Morning and a regular contributor for Global News and other national media outlets.
Hi , the recipe looks awesome and after going through all the reviews , it’s a sure thing in my list ...just had one query ..if you could share the same recipe in weight / grams ...it would be easier to bake this and if Iam using flax seed instead of an egg ..how much to use ...today is Sunday here and a also puja holiday ...really wanting to bake this to welcome my Durga puja celebrations
Happy holidays! So glad this one is on your list. Next time I make it, I will weigh the ingredients 🙂
I made this beautiful and oh-so-tasty cake for the Persian new year and it came out perfect! It was very easy to make and follow the instructions. The flavour combo of cardamom and rose water were delicious and this cake will definitely be part of my regular cake rotation! Thank you Shahzadi!
So so happy you enjoyed this one! Navroz mubarak to you!
Hello Shahzadi,
This recipe looks amazing. I want to make it for a friend who is egg-free. What would you suggest I substitute for the eggs? Also, I have coconut yoghurt instead of dairy yoghurt. Would that affect the taste much?
Thank you
thanks so much, Kiran! I haven't tried this without eggs or with coconut yogurt. However, you could use flax eggs instead of eggs and see how you go. Look forward to hearing all about it 🙂
Hi Shahzadi, I made this tonight and it was lovely!! I did make some minor changes though.. I halved the cake batter ingredients and baked it for 30 minutes in my mini cake pan. And for the icing I used 100g cream cheese, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1 tsp milk and 1/8 tsp rose water. I decorated it with pistachios and freeze dried strawberries. Thanks for a great recipe!
Would you recommend using baking powder or baking soda? I noticed you mention powder in the ingredients list and soda in the instructions. Thank you
Hi Stephanie! Am delighted to hear that you enjoyed this recipe. It’s one of my favourites and exudes love:) sorry about the confusion. It’s actually baking powder that I use in this particular recipe. Will amend the directions:) I love that you added your own spin on it too, sounds heavenly:)
This is just amazing, I loved it. Thank you for sharing this with us. This is going to help a lot.
Oh that's amazing to hear! Delighted that you love it as much as we do 🙂 Thank you!!
I am making this cake for my Bulgarian friend who requested a cake with rose flavoring. Could you advise about the type of rose water? I am having trouble finding this ingredient. I have found Nielson-Massey Rose water - will this work?
Thanks!
Melanie
I haven't used this brand before, but it looks like it should do the trick! I can't wait to hear how your cake turned out. Best wishes! Shahzadi
I've made this cake multiple times and perfect every time. I usually use this recipe with the exact measurements in a 9 inch pan and bake for 30 mins. A true crowd pleaser. Thank you so much for sharing!!
oh my, that's the loveliest comment ever! I'm so so happy you love this recipe as much as us. Thanks for sharing your feedback! Happy new year!