Persian Love Cake, Bundt-Style #BundtBakers

I am still fairly new to the baking group called Bundt Bakers, but I am already enamored with the bloggers and their creative baked goodies.

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers, can be found on our home page.

Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm is hosting February's Bundt Bakers group. When I read her prompt - "Share a Bundt that you made to show your Valentine(s) how much you love them" - I immediately thought of a Persian Love Cake.

I have made Persian Love Cake before. It's a fragrant rose-scented cake flavored with ground cardamom and almond flour. And it's topped with crushed pistachios and candied rose petals. So, I  decided to adapt that into a bundt for this month's event. Before I get to my recipe, here's the line-up of the group's Valentines' bundt cakes...

• Chocolate Brandy Cake by Food Lust People Love 
• Chocolate Mayonnaise Bundt With White Chocolate Ganache by Sneha's Recipe 
• Death by Chocolate Bundt Cake by Palatable Pastime
• Ferrero Rocher Bundt Cake by Magical Ingredients 
• Full of Love Chocolate Bundt Cake by Making Miracles
• Heart Healthy Chocolate Pumpkin Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Here's My Heart Amaretto Bundt by Sweet Sensations
• Love & Chocolate Beet Bundt Cake by Patyco Candybar 
• Persian Love Cake, Bundt-Style by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Ingredients makes 3 mini bundt cakes

Bundts

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup organic granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 lemon)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice (also about 1 lemon)
• 1/2 teaspoon rose water
• 1 Tablespoon saffron liqueur (I have Liquore Strega from Italy, you can substitute pure vanilla extract if you like)
• 2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 3 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Glaze and Finishing

• 1-1/2 cups organic powdered sugar
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons whole milk
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons candied ginger
• lemon peel curls from an organic lemon
• petals from an organic flower (I used some geranium from our garden)

Procedure

Bundts

Butter bundt pans and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter, oil, and sugar until lightened and fluffy. Add in eggs and beat until well-combined. Add in lemon zest, lemon juice, rose water, saffron liqueur, and heavy cream.

Add in flour, almond flour, spices, and baking powder. Beat with a wooden spoon until everything is nicely moistened.

Spoon batter into prepared bundt pans. Bake for 40 minutes, or until cake is firm to the touch and lightly brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. 

Glaze

Whisk together powdered sugar, whole milk, and lemon juice to form a thick glaze.

Finishing

Once the cakes are completely cooled, drizzle the glaze over the bundts. Sprinkle candied ginger over the top and garnish with lemon curls and organic petals.

 Serve immediately. For the adults in the house, I served this with cordials of the saffron liqueur.

That's a wrap for the #BundtBakers Valentines' cakes. We'll be back next month with caffeinated bundt cakes with Rebekah of Making Miracles leading the discussion. Stay tuned....