2026 Persian Love Cake with Rose and Pistachio
Persian Love Cake is a fragrant, rich, and beautiful dessert featuring aromatic notes of saffron, rose, cardamom, and almonds. This moist bundt cake is enhanced with a lemon glaze and decorated with chopped pistachios and rose petals, making it a perfect celebration-worthy treat that captures the essence of Middle Eastern flavors.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 9 servings (1 large bundt cake) 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1½ tsp rose-water
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- A generous pinch saffron, crushed
- ½ cup milk
For the lemon-rose syrup
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp rose-water
For the glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 2–3 tbsp lemon juice
For decoration
- 2 tbsp pistachios, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp dried rose petals
Instructions
- Prepare the pan and saffron milk: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Generously grease and flour a large bundt or fluted pan. Warm the milk slightly and stir in the crushed saffron strands; let it stand to infuse flavor and color.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large bowl, beat softened butter and sugar together on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add eggs and almonds: Incorporate eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add some ground almonds with each egg to prevent curdling and maintain a smooth batter.
- Mix in yogurt, rose-water, and lemon zest: Beat in Greek yogurt, rose-water, and lemon zest, ensuring even incorporation.
- Sift dry ingredients and combine: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cardamom powder. Gradually add these to the wet ingredients, then pour in the cooled saffron-infused milk. Mix gently until just combined; avoid over-mixing to keep the cake tender.
- Pour batter and bake: Transfer batter to the prepared bundt pan, smoothing the top. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to release air bubbles. Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and continue baking for an additional 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool the cake: Remove the cake from oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake onto a wire rack and cool completely.
- Prepare the lemon-rose syrup: During the final minutes of baking, combine sugar, lemon juice, and rose-water in a small saucepan. Heat gently, stirring until sugar dissolves and syrup slightly thickens. Brush warm syrup over the warm cake, then allow it to cool before glazing.
- Make the lemon glaze: Mix 2 tablespoons lemon juice with powdered sugar to form a smooth, thick but drip-friendly glaze. Add more lemon juice if needed to reach the right consistency.
- Glaze and decorate: Pour the glaze evenly over the cooled cake, letting excess drip down the sides. Sprinkle roughly chopped pistachios and dried rose petals generously on top.
- Serve and store: Cut the cake into slices and serve. Store covered at room temperature for 2-3 days or refrigerate for longer freshness.
Notes
- Ground almonds: You can use store-bought almond flour (finely ground blanched almonds) or almond meal (coarser, skin-on almonds). Homemade ground blanched almonds work best for texture.
- Substitutions: Orange-blossom water with orange juice and zest can replace rose-water, lemon juice, and zest for a different floral-citrus variation.
- Baking temperature: Baking at 350°F throughout is possible but may cause rapid browning; tent with foil if needed. The slight cracking on top is normal since the cake is inverted after baking.
- Decoration: Fresh organic rose petals can be used instead of dried rose petals for a fresher look and fragrance.