Mmm.

For the Cake
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons ground pistachios
3 tablespoons shredded coconut, unsweetened

For the Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 tablespoons bloomed* saffron
2 tablespoons rosewater

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line a 9 by 13″ baking dish with parchment paper.

Mix the milk and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside. (Add the lemon juice slowly to prevent curdling – this took me two tries…)

Using an electric mixer or wire whisk, beat the eggs in a large bowl until foamy. Beat or whisk in the sugar until it’s fully combined, then add the oil and the lemon juice and milk mixture. Beat for one more minute.

Combine the dry ingredients – flour, baking powder, and ground cardamom. Then add this mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring gently until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a tester toothpick comes out clean.

While the cake bakes, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved. Then add the bloomed saffron and rosewater. Simmer for 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. This is important! When the cake is cool, use a sharp knife to cut it into 1 1/2″ strips, then cut on a diagonal to make diamond-shaped pieces. Leave the pieces in the pan.

Gently spoon the cooled syrup slowly over the cooled cake. (If either of these are warm the cake with fall apart.) The cake will absorb the syrup right away. Use enough syrup so every part of the cake is soaked, but not too much that it’s overly saturated. Sprinkle the ground pistachios and shredded coconut on top.

* To bloom saffron, combine 1/2 teaspoon ground saffron with 1/4 cup warm water and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes until the water is a gorgeous orange colour.

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Credit
Enchantingly Easy Persian Cookbook by Shadi Hasanzade Nemati

Listening
Poetry Unbound podcast