Persian Love Cake

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour (can sub other flours, I haven't tried- just start out with 1 cup and add more if need be)

• 1/2 cup almond flour (can sub another 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, the almond flour just makes the cake nice and moist)

• 1/4 cup tapioca starch

• 2 tsp cardamom

• pinch of salt

• 3/4 cup aquafaba (aka chickpea brine- when you drain your chickpeas from their can, keep the liquid that you drain. 3/4 cup is about how much liquid you get from one can. yes sounds disgusting and doesn't have the most pleasant smell BUT it whips up just like egg whites and makes for a nice floofy cake)

• 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey

• 1/4 cup rose water

• 2 tbsp orange blossom water

For the topping:

• 1 cup of yogurt (dairy-free if need be) mixed with 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup. You can also do whipped cream if you want it more dessert-like (again, sub coconut whipped cream if you wish). You can also completely skip this and just add the honey "glaze" below.

• A few tablespoons roughly chopped pistachios

• Honey glaze (can sub maple syrup if vegan): 3 tbsp honey mixed with 1 tbsp rose water and 1 tbsp orange blossom water

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9" circular cake pan and dust it with brown rice flour (prevents sticking to tin, no worries if you don't have brown rice flour this isn't crucial as oil should prevent sticking.) You can also bake this as a loaf, just be aware it may need to bake longer.

2. In a small mixing bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients and set aside.

3. Now, in a large mixing bowl, use electric beaters or an electric mixer to whip up your aquafaba. Whip for about 10-15 minutes until stiff peaks form.

4. Add in your remaining wet ingredients and beat just until combined.

5. Dump your dry ingredients into your wet and beat on a low speed until almost completely combined. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the batter to ensure everything is thoroughly mixed, while still keeping some air in the batter.

6. Transfer to your lined cake tin and bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes.

7. Allow the cake to cool completely before adding your preferred toppings. If you topped it with yogurt or whipped cream, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Otherwise, an airtight container at room temp should do the trick. Enjoy :0