Persian Wife Cake.

Cake:
pinch of saffron strands
50ml of almond milk
2 cups ground almonds
3 free range eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil
zest of 2 oranges
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup of shelled raw pistachios

Syrup:
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup honey
pinch of saffron strands

Combine saffron and milk in a small glass and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Let sit.

Preheat oven to 180C

Mix all remaining cake ingredients (except pistachios) together using a fork or a spoon or a food processor. Not your fingers.

At last, add heated saffron/milk mixture (should be yellow) to the batter. Mix well.

Pour batter into a round greased cake tin.

Top with pistachios.

Bake.

For 35-40 min or until the fork comes out clean.

To make the syrup, do as you did with the previous saffron/milk mixture. Combine milk, honey and saffron in a small glass and heat in the microwave for 1 minute. Let sit.

When cake is done, make a few pokes in it using a fork then pour the syrup in.

Let cool completely before inverting onto a plate.

Serve with yoghurt and love and yoghurt.

Persian Love Bites

If you’re looking to impress a Persian lady bake her a batch of these deliciously nutritious and oh so fragrant saffron cookies.

1/4 tsp saffron
1  cup almond meal
1 free range egg
1/2 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut 
4 heaped tbsp honey 
4 tbsp peanut butter 
1/2 tsp baking soda
raw pistachio nuts to decorate 

Preheat the oven to 160 C.

In a small glass, mix saffron with 3 tsp of boiling water then cover with a saucer to brew for about five minutes.

In a food processor combine the saffron water with the rest of the ingredients and whizz for a minute or until a dough-like mixture is formed. According to the type of your almond meal and dessicated coconut, you may need to slightly adjust the ingredients. By this, I mean just a little more almond meal, or a little less. The batter should be sticky but not wet.

Using wet hands to prevent sticking, make small balls and place 1cm apart on a lined baking tray.

Using a wet fork push each ball down in half then top with pistachio nuts.

Bake for 10 minutes or until nice and golden.

Enjoy with hot black tea (that’s how we Persians would do it).