Persian Love Almond Cake

Ingredients

Cake

• 300 g or 1 ½ cup fine granulated sugar
• Zest of 3 lemons
• 170 g or ¾ cup butter unsalted and softened
• 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 50 g or ¼ cup flavorless oil
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt halve it if using table salt
• 3 large eggs
• 145 g or 1 ¼ cup almond flour not ground almonds, not almond meal
• 195 g or 1 ½ cups cake flour sifted
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 120 g or ½ cup kefir or buttermilk

Glaze

• 260 g or 2 cups powdered sugar
• 3-5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon rosewater
• Pistachios and dried rose petals for topping

Direction

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter and flour two 8 inch round cake pans (alternatively use a baking spray).
2. Set the sugar in the bowl of the stand mixer and over it zest the lemons.
3. Rub the zest into the sugar using your fingers until the texture resembles wet sand.
4. Add the butter and oil to the bowl, as well as the cardamom, rose water, vanilla and salt. 
5. Affix the paddle attachment and beat the mix starting on low, working up to medium speed.
6. Scrape down the bowl as needed and beat again until you have a light and airy mixture.
7. With the mixer on, one by one add the eggs allowing 20-30 seconds between each addition. Scrape down the bowl as needed and beat again until the mixture is all smooth.
8. Add the flours and baking powder and turn the mixer on low, as it mixes pour in the kefir/buttermilk. Mix until just combined.
9. Divide the batter between the two cake pans and smooth out the tops. The cakes won’t dome much in the oven but evening them out prevent any little that might.
10. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
11. Let the cakes cool in their pan for about 5 minutes after baking then transfer to a cooling rack.
12. Once they are completely cool, slice off any doming with a cake slicer or bread knife (eat the ‘hat’ as a snack).

Make the glaze

1. Whisk together the powdered sugar, the rosewater, a pinch of salt and about 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice. If the mix is too thick, add another tablespoon or two of lemon juice. 
2. Add only as much as you need so that the glaze isn’t too thin, once it’s thick but pourable it’s ready.
3. Set the first cake face up on a plate. Spoon some of the glaze on top and smooth it over into an even layer. Add some lemon zest over the glaze if you like.
4. Set the top cake face down and spread the rest of the glaze over it – it will drip to the sides on its own so just spread to the edge. 
5. Sprinkle the top with finely chopped pistachios and dried rose petals.