Name: Persian love cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: serving
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 360 g almond meal; 200 g castor sugar; 200 g brown sugar; 120 g butter unsalted, softened; 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg grated; 1 tsp cinnamon ground; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp ginger ground; 250 g yoghurt full cream plain; 2 eggs; lemon zest only; 1 tsp vanilla paste or extract; 4 apples peeled, cored, sliced in 8; 300 g sugar; 100 ml water; 100 ml brandy; water; salt; 250 ml cream fresh, for whipping; 1 tsp vanilla extract

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Ingredients (20)

360 g	almond meal
200 g	castor sugar
200 g	brown sugar
120 g	butter — unsalted, softened
1 1/2 tsp	nutmeg — grated
1 tsp	cinnamon — ground
1 tsp	salt
1/2 tsp	ginger — ground
250 g	yoghurt — full cream plain
2	eggs
	lemon — zest only
1 tsp	vanilla — paste or extract

Caramel and brandy poached apple topping

4	apples — peeled, cored, sliced in 8
300 g	sugar
100 ml	water
100 ml	brandy
	water
	salt

Creme topping

250 ml	cream — fresh, for whipping
1 tsp	vanilla — extract

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Method:

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line the base and sides of a 29cm springform tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl, crumble together the almond meal, sugars, butter, spices and salt until the mixture resembles wet sand.

Press half the crumble into the base of your tin.

Add the yoghurt, eggs, vanilla and zest to the remaining crumble and use a spatula to beat the mixture together until it’s well combined.

Pour the batter into the cake tin.

Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, until lightly puffed and golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of the cake.

Allow to cool completely before removing from the tin.

Apples:

While the cake baked start with the caramelised apples.

Place the apples in some cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice to avoid discolouring and set aside.

Pour some cold water in a bowl enough the fit a medium pan and set aside.

Place the sugar and 100ml water in a medium pan and heat over a medium heat while stirring until all the sugar has dissolved.

Bring it to the boil and without stirring boil for about 10 minutes until the syrup turns a golden colour.

Keep a close eye and as soon as the syrup turns an amber coloured caramel, remove immediately from the heat and place the pan in the bowl with the cold water to stop the caramel from cooking further.

Return to the heat and carefully add the brandy, 100ml water and salt.

Keep stirring until the caramel has melted and you have a smooth liquid.

Add the apples and simmer gently for 20 minutes, turning the apples in the liquid a few times.

Remove the apples, place in a dish and set aside.

Turn up the heat and boil the syrup for a few minutes.

Pour the hot syrup over the apples and let it stand until it has reached room temperature.

Topping

Whisk the cream with the extract until firm peaks form and spread on top of the cooled cake.

Pile the apples in the centre of the cake and drizzle with some of the caramel syrup.

Serve the rest of the syrup on the side.

Reprinted with permission of Heinstirred. To see more click here.

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