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Mini Persian Love Cakes

Delightful mini cakes infused with the flavors of pistachio, cardamom, and rosewater, perfect for special occasions or cozy evenings.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Persian
Calories: 250
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Main ingredients
  • 150 g 1 cup (150g) pistachios, plus extra chopped pistachios to serve
  • 4 pods 4 cardamom pods, bruised, seeds reserved
  • 170 g 170g fine semolina
  • 100 g 1 cup (100g) almond meal
  • 1.25 tsp 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp 1/2 tsp freshly finely grated nutmeg
  • 300 g 300g salted butter, chopped, softened
  • 330 g 330g brown sugar
  • 1 unit Finely grated zest of 1 orange
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 4 large 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 60 ml 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice
  • 100 ml 100ml lemon juice
  • 80 ml 1/3 cup (80ml) rosewater
  • 110 g 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
  • 200 g 200g Greek-style yoghurt
  • 200 g 200g creme fraiche
  • 1 tbs 1 tbs icing sugar, sifted
  • 1 unit Edible dried rose petals (optional)

Method
 

Preparation
  1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C/160 degrees C fan-forced. Grease the bases of 8 holes from two Texas muffin tins and line with baking paper.
  2. In a food processor, whiz the pistachios and reserved cardamom seeds until finely ground.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the ground pistachio mixture with semolina, almond meal, baking powder, and nutmeg.
  4. In another bowl, beat together the softened butter, brown sugar, orange zest, and vanilla until smooth.
  5. Gradually add in the eggs and orange juice, mixing well.
  6. Fold in the pistachio mixture until combined.
Baking
  1. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tins, smoothing the surfaces for that perfect finish.
  2. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Syrup and Serving
  1. While the cakes are cooling, prepare the syrup by boiling the lemon juice, rosewater, and caster sugar together for about 10 minutes.
  2. Once the cakes are cool, drizzle them generously with the syrup before chilling.
  3. For a finishing touch, pipe together the Greek yoghurt and creme fraiche, then create delightful little sandwiches with the cakes and the cream.
  4. Garnish with chopped pistachios and edible rose petals if desired.

Notes

Store any uneaten cakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. The flavors deepen after a day, making them enjoyable even on the second or third day. Consider freezing them without the syrup to keep them longer.