Holiday Sweets: Persian Baklava Cake with Almonds and Rosewater

This Persian Baklava Cake gives you all the flavor you love without the fuss of phyllo: almonds, pistachios and rosewater.

Despite my protests, it appears that the holidays are coming as scheduled. Christmas is still December 25th. The kids’ break from school will still begin December 21st. And so on, and so forth. So instead of working on my Christmas cards, wrapping gifts or even cleaning house, I’m baking!

I am sharing with you one of my favorite Persian treats: Baklava Cake. It’s easier to make than traditional baklava, with it’s layers of fragile phyllo. This is an almond cake with the sweet syrup you love of baklava, the scent of rosewater and the crunch of pistachios.

You can make your own almond meal or buy it already ground up. For this recipe, I’m using a food processor to pulverize my slivered almonds.

This is probably the “hardest” part of making this delicious cake. Mix up the wet ingredients…

Then add everything together. There is flour in this cake, so the final product is a cross between dense cake and a fluffy one.

Once baked, you cut the cake into squares or diamonds. Then you pour the sweet rosewater syrup over it. Only a warm cake will absorb it all, so be sure to do this right after you take it from the oven.

Then sprinkle the top with almonds slivers, chopped pistachio and crushed dried rose petals. The rose petals aren’t necessary, but they sure do make the cake pretty!

Baklava Cake (Almond Cake)

Author:

Laura Bashar

Enjoy all the flavors of baklava without fussing over phyllo dough. Recipe by Laura Bashar of Family Spice

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, large
• 2 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
• 3 1/4 cup almond slivers
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 TBS lemon juice
• 1/2 cup rose water
• 1/4 cup pistachios, shelled & finely chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Spray an 8" x 8" baking pan and a 9" x 13" baking pan with cooking spray.
3. Separate yolks and whites into two medium-sized bowls from:
• 6 eggs, large
4. In the bowl with the egg yolks add and whisk together until white in color:
5. 1 cup granulated sugar
6. Whisk in:
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 tsp cardamom, ground
7. In a food processor grind until fine powder:
• 3 cup almond slivers
8. Make sure it measures out to 2 1/2 cups and add to egg yolk mixture.
9. Using the reserved egg whites, whisk until glossy.
10. Add to egg yolk mixture and combine.
11. Gradually whisk in:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
12. Pour batter into prepared pans. You do not want a thick cake so make sure batter is 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch deep in pans.
13. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted to center of brownie comes out clean.
14. In a small saucepan combine and bring to boil for 5 minutes:
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 TBS lemon juice
15. Remove saucepan from heat and stir in:
• 1/2 cup rose water
16. Cut the cake into desired shapes.
17. Pour the syrup on it while the cake is hot.
18. Garnish cake with:
• 1/4 cup almond slivers
• 1/4 cup pistachios , shelled & finely chopped
19. Let cake cool to room temperature and then serve.

Notes:

Cooking Tips: Rose water can be found at middle eastern stores. If you don't have rose water, substitute with 1 1/2 cups of honey and a shot (1.5 fl oz) of brandy.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Yield: 48 servings

Cook Time: 30 mins

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If you need more sweet inspiration, or are too lazy to bake, please visit my friend Stephanie at Life Tastes Like Food. She is hosting a bake sale to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and her friend who is sick with cancer. I have donated a 5-gram pack of Persian Saffron, valued at $40, so get in on the bidding before everyone finds out!