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Persian Love Cake

This Persian Love Cake, gorgeously fragrant with beautiful Middle Eastern spices, is moist, delicious and so very easy to prepare. It is grain and gluten free and a lot less sweet than most versions. You will need a 22-23cm springform cake tin for this recipe.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Baking, Dessert
Cuisine Middle Eastern, Persian
Servings 12 people

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups Almond Meal , blanched
  • 1/2 cup Desiccated Coconut
  • 1 & 1/2 cups Coconut Sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120g) Butter , softened
  • 1 pinch Salt , Himalayan or sea salt
  • 2 large Organic Eggs , lightly beaten
  • 1 cup Thick Natural Yoghurt
  • 4 tsp Herbie's Fragrant Sweet Spice Mixture* , or 1 tsp each ground nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Pistachios , roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp Dried Chemical Free Rose Petals** , optional
  • 1 cup Creme Fraiche, Thick Cream or Yoghurt , for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 160C (fan-forced).
  • Butter a 22cm springform cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper.
  • In a large bowl combine the almond meal, desiccated coconut, coconut sugar, butter and salt and mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.
  • Spoon half of the mixture into the cake tin and gently press it evenly over the base.
  • Add the eggs, yoghurt and spices to the almond mixture and beat until well combined. Pour over the base and smooth the top.
  • Place the cake on a baking tray before putting it in the oven . It is always a good idea to do this with springform tins just in case they do not completely seal.
  • Bake the cake for 60 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cover the cake if it is browning too much during cooking.
  • Leave the cake in the tin until completely cooled, sprinkle over the chopped pistachios and rose petals. Serve with creme fraiche, thick cream or extra yoghurt on the side.

Recipe Notes:

  • *Herbies Fragrant Sweet Spice mixture is a gorgeous blend of coriander, cassia, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, poppy seeds, cloves, green cardamom and rose petals, available at The Health Emporium.
  • **At The Health Emporium we sell the Herbie's Chemical-Free Dried Rose Petals.