Persian Love Cake (Semolina, cardamom, rose water)

I am a sucker for simple tea cakes- no fancy heavily decorated cakes for me.  And this simple-to-make and delicious Persian Love Cake is my new favorite.

Are you in the mood for a sweet and delicate dessert that is both delicious and eggless? This eggless version of the cake is made with simple ingredients such as flour, sugar, and milk, and infused with the essence of cardamom and rosewater while keeping the texture soft and tender. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a beginner, this recipe is easy to follow and will impress your family and friends. So, preheat your oven, and let’s get baking!

What is the story behind Persian Love Cake?

Legend has it that a woman was madly in love with a Persian prince.  To make him fall in love with her, she baked him this cake full of magical powers.  And there are two endings to this fairy tale- the first where the prince ended up eating the cake and instantly falls in love with her.  In the second story, the magical powers of the cake don’t work, and he does not return her love. 

This cake is so good that I choose to believe in the first ending. There are many versions of the Persian Love Cake with flavors of rose water, pistachios, saffron, and citrus.  These are some of my favorite flavors so of course, I love this cake so much! I have seen some recipes where some of the flour in the cake is replaced by almond flour. 

My version of the Eggless Persian Love Cake

For my version of the Eggless Persian Cake, we are making it with semolina flour (rava). Semolina is made with durum wheat and is coarser in texture. The texture works wonderfully with this cake.  The cake itself is flavored with ground cardamom and rose water. Rose Water is easily available at Middle Eastern or Indian grocery stores and online. Different brands of rose water can have different potency so be judicious the first time you use it. 

Here is the cake pan I recommend baking the cake in.

After the cake is baked, we are drizzling it with honey, lemon juice, and rose water syrup.  The cake itself is not too sweet at all so this drizzle helps in moistening and sweetening the cake.  Some recipes have a thick confectioners sugar glaze for the cake, but I prefer the drizzle for this semolina version. 

After the drizzle, the cake is decorated with raw chopped pistachios and edible dried rose petals.  It gives it a simply stunning look. 

List of Ingredients used to make this Rose flavored Semolina Tea Cake

For the Cake

• 1 cup fine semolina (rava)
• ½ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 cup plain yogurt, whipped
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 tablespoon rose water
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ cup neutral cooking oil

For the Drizzle

• ½ cup honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon rose water

For Decorations

• Raw Chopped pistachios
• dried rose petals

How to make Eggless Persian Love Cake

There are 2 main steps to make this egg-free tea cake

• Step 1- Bake the egg-free cake sponge
• Step 2- Prepare and pour the drizzle on the cake

Step 1- Bake the Cake

Here is how you should bake the cake:

1. Mix semolina (rava), whole wheat flour, sugar, and yogurt and set it aside for 10 minutes.  This resting process will bloom the semolina. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Prepare an 8-inch round cake pan by greasing it well with oil or butter. 
3. To the resting semolina mix add baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, rose water, milk, and oil.  Mix the ingredients well but take care not to over-mix. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven for 40-42 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and rest it for 8-10 minutes.  Gently invert the cake pan to remove the cake and finish cooling it off on a cooling rack. 

Step 2- Prepare and pour the Drizzle

1. Prepare the drizzle by combining the ingredients in a saucepan. 
2. Heat it just so the honey melts and is liquid. 
3. Pour the drizzle all over the warm cake. 
4. Finish cooling off completely and decorate with raw chopped pistachios and dried rose petals. 

This is how the Persian cake looks

Recipe tips for Eggless Persian Love Cake

• You can add saffron to the drizzle when warming the honey. 
• Orange juice can be used in place of lemon juice in the drizzle. 
• Do not skimp on the drizzle or the cake will be too dry.
• You can replace cooking oil with melted ghee or melted butter for a richer taste. 

Serving and Storage for Persian love cake

Eggless Persian Love Cake can be served with afternoon tea or with a side of whipped cream.  It is best eaten at room temperature. 

Will stay at room temperature and stored properly in a container for up to a day.  After that store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.  Remove it from the fridge a couple of hours prior to serving.

FAQs- Persian Love Cake

If you like the flavors of rose and pistachios, check out my recipe for the Gulkand and Pistachio Bundt Cake, another great teatime cake. 

Rose Pistachio Cake: An eggless recipe

Eggless Persian Cake Recipe