This Persian Love Cake recipe is a rich, moist butter cake flavoured with the floral scent of rose water, saffron, cardamom and citrus. Dabbed with warm, aromatic syrup, glazed, and garnished with pistachios and rose petals, this makes it the perfect Middle Eastern saffron cake to win hearts.
Birthday desserts have become a little tradition in our home — a double-layered chocolate cake for mine and a Burnt Basque Cheesecake for his. Because honestly, you’re never too old to celebrate your birthday! Sure, it might mean we’re another year closer to the finish line, but isn’t that all the more reason to honour the life we've lived so far? Don’t you think?
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Why is it called Persian Love Cake?
My first guess would be because it has rose water flavour and the rose is the universal symbol of love! And, if you look at the recipe, all the flavours used in this saffron cake are the epitome of Persian dessert. Legend has it, a Persian lady baked it to win a prince's heart.
If the story is true, then I am sure he did fall for her, and that is why the cake got its name. If he didn't, his loss! I hope she enjoyed the cake on her own. 😄
🛒Grab these Ingredients
Here's what you need to create the Persian saffron cake recipe:
- Saffron strands
- Cardamom powder
- Rose water
- Lemon juice
- Milk
- Unsalted butter
- Labneh: You may replace this with hung yoghurt or Greek yoghurt.
- Large eggs
- White granulated sugar
- Flour: Almond flour and or Plain flour
- Baking powder
- Icing sugar
- Pistachios or almonds
- dried rose petals
Refer to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this page for the complete list of ingredients and exact measurements.
🧰 Equipment You’ll Need
- 8-inch springform pan
- Stand mixer or handheld electric mixer
- A large mixing bowl for batter
- A saucepot to make the aromatic sugar syrup
- A small bowl for mixing the glaze
👩🏽🍳 How to Make Persian Love Cake
You cannot walk into the kitchen and start making this cake. You need to plan and keep all the ingredients ready before starting the batter preparation. My written recipe is always in the order of making, so you will begin with saffron milk.
- Prepare saffron milk: You can make this a day ahead and store it in the fridge.
- Keep ingredients measured and ready in their required state, like room temperature, softened, powdered, etc.
- Prepare the batter: I don't own a stand mixer, but I used a handheld electric mixer with two whisks.
- Prepare the syrup: The cake should still be warm, so make sure you start the syrup as soon as the cake is out.
- Prepare the glaze: Always glaze the cake when it is completely cooled.
The recipe measurements are made using standard measuring cups and spoons, so you can recreate this with confidence.
😅 Baking Hiccup
Now let me be honest — the taste? Dreamy. Fragrant, floral, rich with cardamom and saffron. But the look? Erm… let’s say it had a dramatic rise. Yup, my cake came out with a big dome on top. Not quite the elegant, flat Persian Love Cake I had imagined. 😬
I hovered over it for a good while, torn between slicing it flat or embracing the puff. In the end, I left it just as it was. It may not have been a showstopper visually, but hey — it’s what’s inside that counts, right?
🎂 How to Fix a Domed Cake
A domed cake is super common, especially with denser batters like in this Persian Love Cake. But don’t worry — I researched and here are a few easy tricks to help fix it, and ways to prevent it next time. 🙌
- Flip it upside down: If the dome isn’t too high, simply flip the cake over so the flat bottom becomes the top. Voila!
- Trim and flip: If the dome is big, slice off just enough to level it, then flip it over. This gives you a nice flat surface for frosting or glazing.
🎉 Bonus? You get to taste that off-cut before anyone else does. Baker’s rights, am I right? 😄
🔥 Tips to Prevent a Domed Cake
- Use a dark-coloured pan: It helps the cake bake more evenly.
- Lower the baking temperature: Try baking at 160°C (320°F) for a longer time. A gentler heat allows the batter to rise evenly.
- Wrap baking strips around the pan: These help the outside of the cake bake at the same pace as the centre, preventing that central dome.
💡 Baking strips can be a bit pricey, but don’t let that stop you. You can make your DIY baking strips using an old towel.
💡Recipe Tips
- Brew saffron: A hint of saffron works wonders when brewed patiently. Crush it with a sprinkle of sugar, soak it in hot milk, and let it sit overnight in the fridge. If you don't have saffron, you can skip it and go for regular room-temperature milk for the cake.
- Fast-track butter softening: dice into small cubes and keep them under a warm bowl.
❄️ Storage
Store your Persian Love Cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can store it for a longer period in the fridge – the cake tastes great even when chilled.
FAQ
Yes, you can! Wrap slices individually in plastic wrap and freeze for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy.
While it adds a distinctive floral touch, you can still whip up a fantastic saffron cake without it.
Certainly! Make sure it is not a savoury spice mix. Use a pinch of ground saffron and brew in warm milk.
Related Recipes
Try my single-layer tea cake with fresh cherries or the buttery apple cake.
Looking for more Cake recipes like this? Try these:
- Tiramisu without Mascarpone (No Eggs, No Alcohol!)
- Burnt Cheesecake
- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
- VIMTO Eggless Chocolate Cake
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📖 Recipe Card
Persian Love Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the saffron milk
- a pinch of saffron strands
- 1 pinch sugar
- ½ cup milk, warmed
For the cake batter
- 200 grams unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup full-fat labneh, you can use hung yoghurt or greek yoghurt
- 2 teaspoons rose water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, maida
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
For the aromatic syrup
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon rose water
- ½ teaspoon orange blossom water, optional
For the glaze
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
For garnish
- slivered pistachios
- dried rose petals
Instructions
Prepare the saffron milk
- Crush the saffron strands with a dash of sugar with the back of a spoon. The sugar helps to break down the saffron strands easily, and we can get the maximum out of the little saffron. Stir the crushed saffron into the warm milk and keep it covered until needed. You can make this ahead and keep it refrigerated.a pinch of saffron strands1 pinch sugar½ cup milk
Prep the pan and oven
- Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line the sides and the bottom with baking paper. Measure and keep all the ingredients ready. Preheat the oven to 160℃.
Prepare the cake batter
- Add the plain flour, baking powder and salt to a small bowl and whisk to combine.2 cups all-purpose flour2 teaspoon baking powder¼ teaspoon salt
- In a larger bowl, add the softened butter and sugar. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric whisk at high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.200 grams unsalted butter1 cup white sugar
- Add the eggs one by one, making sure to whisk each before you add the next.4 large eggs
- Whisk in the cardamom powder and almond flour. Make sure to stop and scrape the sides of the bowl and whisk thoroughly.¼ teaspoon cardamom powder½ cup almond flour
- Add the labneh or Greek yoghurt and rose water and whisk again. Fold in the flour mixture and the saffron milk just until combined. Do not overmix.½ cup full-fat labneh2 teaspoons rose water
Bake the cake
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of the spoon. Tap the pan on the countertop once or twice to remove any trapped air bubbles. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake passes the toothpick test. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes while you prepare the syrup.
Prepare the syrup
- Carefully remove and place the cake on a wire rack. Heat the sugar, lemon juice and rose water and orange blossom water until the sugar melts and thickens. Brush this warm syrup all over the warm cake and let it cool completely.¼ cup sugar2 teaspoons lemon juice½ teaspoon rose water½ teaspoon orange blossom water
Prepare the glaze
- Whisk the icing sugar and lemon juice to a smooth paste. If it is too thick, add just a dash of water, and if it turns too runny, then add some more icing sugar.1 cup icing sugar3 tablespoons lemon juice
Garnish the cake
- Pour the prepared glaze over the cake only after the cake is completely cooled. Sprinkle rose petals and pistachios all over the cake. Store any leftover cake covered fully in the refrigerator.slivered pistachiosdried rose petals
Notes
- You can bake this cake recipe in a 9-inch round pan.
- You may use the citrus zest of lemon or orange in the glaze for added citrusy flavour.
Nutrition Info
I pulled inspiration from Yasmin Khan's book, and with a few tweaks here and there, I created my version tailored for an 8-inch springform pan.
Rebecca says
Hi! Where is the recipe do you add the saffron milk
Famidha Ashraf says
It is mentioned in step 5 under prepare the cake batter section.