Instructions for Cake Mix: Persian Love Cake

Persian Love Cake Kit Instructions

This recipe makes one 6 inch round cake

Tools needed

Whisk
Hand mixer / Stand mixer
Mixing bowl
Microwave safe bowl
Silicon spatula & brush
Zester / grater
6 inch baking pan
Measuring scale or measuring cups & spoons

Shopping list

Vanilla extract
3/4 tbsp whole milk
A couple of limes or lemons
1 tbsp oil (to grease the pan)
1/4 cup (57 gm) Greek yogurt
1/4 cup (57 gm) unsalted butter
1.5 tbsp oil (olive oil preferred)

Here’s all the ingredients you will need

Cake

Package has:

Parchment paper
Cake flour mix
Cake sugar
Rose water (cake)

You will need:

1 tsp lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp oil (to grease the pan)
1.5 tbsp oil (olive oil preferred)
1/2 tsp citrus zest (~1/2 lime/lemon)
1/4 cup (57 gm) Greek yogurt, room temperature
1/4 cup (57 gm) unsalted butter, room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and grease a 6inch baking pan with oil on its sides and bottom, line the bottom with parchment paper additionally.

2. Add 1/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup yogurt, 1.5 tbsp olive oil and cake sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer/a regular bowl (if using a hand mixer/whisk) and mix for 3-4 minutes till the mixture becomes light & pale. Scrape the sides of your bowl once to make sure everything mixes evenly.

3. Add in 1/2 tsp citrus zest, 1 tsp lime/lemon juice, rose water (cake), and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Mix again till you get a smooth mixture.

4. Now, add in the cake flour mix, gently getting the batter together using the silicon spatula. Do not over mix at this stage, stop when no flour pockets are visible.

5. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean (some crumbs attached to the skewer are ok)

6. Let the cake cool completely before starting to decorate.

Rose Glaze

Package has:

Glaze sugar
Rose water (glaze)
Saltless chopped pistachios & dried rose petals (optional garnish)
A piping bag

You will need:

3/4 tbsp whole milk

Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together the glaze sugar, rose water (glaze) and 3/4 tbsp milk to make a thick glaze.

Assembly

Pour the glaze over your cooled cake using a spoon or a piping bag while moving your hand smoothly but swiftly. Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios and dried rose petals, if using.

You could also warm the cake for 5-10seconds in microwave for a different experience!

FAQ

Can I bake the dessert in a different size/material pan?

Absolutely! Actual baking time may differ based on your pan size, shape and material.
There are some basic rules:
1. A round baking pan may easily be replaced by a similar sized square pan.
2. ⁠In general, cakes baked in smaller pans take longer to bake than cakes baked in larger pans. It’s all about how much surface area is directly exposed to heat.
3. Cakes bake faster in metal pans as compared to ceramic pans since metals conduct heat better. Ceramic pans aren’t my baking material of choice but will certainly work for your dessert here.

Do I need to use unsalted butter? Can I just use the salted butter (Amul butter has salt) that I have at home?

For best experience, I’d recommend using unsalted butter. Your dry mix contains salt already and using salted butter may throw the delicate balance of the recipe off.

How long should I continue to mix the batter after I’ve added the Cake Flour Mix?

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you get a uniform mixture. No dry pockets of dry flour should be visible. Remember to be gentle with the mixture at this point- stop using any stand mixers/hand mixers/whisks at this point and shift to gentle folding method using a silicon spatula (explained in the process video as well)

How do I know when my cake is done baking?

About 5 minutes before the suggested baking time in the instructions, poke the center of the cake gently with a skewer or a fork. If you see any wet/semi-wet batter on the skewer, return the cake to the oven in small time increments of 2-5 minutes.
Your cake is done when your skewer comes out mostly clean. Few dry crumbs attached to it are ok.

I don’t have extra parchment paper at home, what should I do to prepare my baking pan?

Your package should come with 1 suitable sized parchment paper. If you need more, you could just use any flavorless oil to grease your pan really really well. Coat all the sides and the bottom. Your cake should easily pop off once you use a knife along the edge of your pan.

What if I don’t have all of the listed tools?

You would definitely need a whisk or hand mixer, baking pan, measuring scale or measuring cups & spoons, zester or grater. Most other tools can be replaced with suitable replacements from your kitchen.

How long will my butter and yogurt need to come to room temperature?

You need to give these ingredients atleast an hour on the kitchen counter. You can hasten the process for butter by opening the paper wrapper and slicing the butter in cubes- just to increase the surface area exposed to air.

How do I know if my butter, sugar, oil and yogurt are creamed well?

The time for mixing mentioned in the recipe is an approximation based on many factors- temperature of ingredients, type of mixing method used, speed of mixing, etc. You are basically looking for a light yellow mixture with almost no granulated sugar visible. It should become a homogeneous mixture. Scraping the bowl sides a couple of times helps a lot as well.

What is the correct way to get lemon zest out of my lemon?

You could use a zester or a regular grater to grate the very outer yellow layer of your citrus. The white layer right underneath is quite bitter so be careful to only gather the top flavorful layer.

How long should I leave the lemon zest, juice, vanilla and rose water to infuse together?

It’s not mandatory to give them time to sit together. You could proceed to pour the mixture in your butter, oil, yogurt mixture rightaway. But if you aren’t in a rush, it is recommended to let it sit 5-10minutes for even amazing results! 🙂

My batter is in the pan. Anything I should do before I put it in the oven?

Smoothen out the top of your batter by using the silicon spatula or the back of a spoon. You could also bang your pan on the counter a few times to make sure the batter disperses evenly in the pan.

Why is there a range for baking time?

Each oven is different and baking times differ for a variety of reasons. It’s generally a good idea to set the oven timer for the lower limit of the suggested time and then do the skewer test once the timer runs out.
You aren’t looking for a brown cake, just bake till you don’t see wet batter on your skewer. Dry crumbs are perfectly fine!

What is a good time to finally invert my cake on my serving platter?

Here is a rough timeline for you:
Cake is out of the oven -> Let it rest on the counter for 15-20minutes -> Invert it on your serving platter -> Let it further cool down 15-20 minutes (prepare the glaze meanwhile) -> Decorate with your glaze and toppings. Enjoy!

Do I need to use all the sugar for my glaze?

Yea & no. To prepare the glaze properly, you need to mix all of the provided powdered sugar with the reserved 1/4cup syrup. Once your glaze is ready and has the perfect consistency, you can choose to use as much/as little as you like!

How do I know I have used enough milk for my glaze?

It’s a good rule of thumb to start with 3/4 tbsp of milk. If after mixing you feel that your glaze is too stiff, incrementally add 4-5 drops of milk before mixing to check the consistency again.

We are looking for a pourable consistency but it shouldn’t be too runny that it runs off the cake immediately after pouring.
Remember, you can always add more milk but can’t remove any. So be conservative with how much incremental milk you add after the initial 3/4 tbsp.

I’ve never used a piping bag. What do I need to know?

It’s super easy! Just pour your glaze in your piping bag and start! You cannot go wrong here.
If you are still skeptical, you can always use a spoon for your glaze.

How to store the leftovers?

You may not have any! 😉
If you still want to save some for later- the cake can stay at room temperature for 1-2 days. After 2 days, store the remaining in the refrigerator for 3 more days.
I love enjoying my leftover slices after warming up in the microwave for 5-10seconds!