Persian Love Cake... the Results

My new nickname is Love Cake, primarily a result of the success of the Persian Love (cup)Cakes I made this weekend.

I will definitely make this again; I've never had a cake quite like it. Especially warm out of the oven, they were so light and airy. The orange blossom substitution went well. The only thing I would change is the distribution of the cardamom seeds. I'll grind them a bit with a mortar and pestle next time, so they are more evenly distributed among the cupcakes. And I didn't get around to candying the rose petals, but I really liked how the chopped pistachios looked on top. (Photos by Lizzie Rothwell)

cupcakes playing backgammon (photo at left)

My Valentine's Day Wish

The final part in the Valentine's Series

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My Valentine's Day wish for all of you...

Updated 2/14
Now with audio

Happy Valentine's Day from kitchenplay (and R. Kelly)

Oyster? I hardly know her!

Part 4 of 5 in the Valentine's Day Extravaganza

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Last Sunday, I visited Coquette for Happy Hour with friends. My friend Mike and I shared a plate of (delicious) oysters, which naturally brought up the topic of aphrodisiacs. Is it the act of sucking that makes oysters sexy? What qualifies as an aphrodisiac? How exactly are they supposed to work?

The word comes from Greek, its root found in aphrodisiakos (sexual, gem with aphrodisiac properties), aphrodisia (heterosexual pleasures) and the name of the Goddess of Love and Beauty, Aphrodite. Miriam-Webster defines an aphrodisiac as:

1 : an agent (as a food or drug) that arouses or is held to arouse sexual desire
2 : something that excites

Ok, so how do oysters, one of the less sexy looking shellfish, arouse sexual desire or cause excitement? Personally, I think shrimp are super cute and Pacific lobsters dangerously sexy. What's so attractive about the bivalve mollusk?

A few different theories are out there. Some say it’s because of their resemblance to sexual organs, specifically testicles[1]. Wikipedia cites an article that credits the high Zinc content in oysters. Zinc raises sperm and testosterone production[2]. Or maybe it’s a result of rich amino acids that trigger an increase in sex hormones?[3]

But most people have come to the conclusion that the effect is more psychological than anything else. I wonder too if its association with fine dining is part of its sexual mystique. It’s one of those foods a woman juuuust might put out for.

And I mean no offense to my company last Sunday, I didn’t exactly get aroused after eating my six oysters.

While it may be harder to put our finger on which foods turn us on, I can definitely identify what food items turn me off. Specifically, this.

What foods get you all hot and heavy?


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[1] http://health.discovery.com/centers/sex/sexpedia/aphrodisiacs.html
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodisiac#cite_note-27
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oyster

Persian Love Cake

Part 3 in the Valentine's Series

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This Saturday I am attempting another grand cake making adventure. Though partly because of last year's debacle and partly because of my recent cupcake obsession, I plan on making them in cupcake form.

It's a Persian Love Cake. It combines saffron and cardamom and looks beautiful. (Photo by Mark Thomas for Bon Appetit)

The only thing is, it also includes rose water. I don't like rose water. My adult palate is starting to appreciate it, but too much of it in something and I become ill. As such, I'm going to take the suggestions of a few of the reviewers on Epicurious and substitute orange blossom water.

I'm posting the recipe now and I'll let you know how they turn out over the weekend. If anyone else is inspired to make it, let me know how it goes.

Persian Love Cake
from Epicurious

Candied rose petals

• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Petals from 2 organic roses

Cake

• 1 cup cake flour
• 14 tablespoons baker's sugar or superfine sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 6 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds (removed from about 5 green cardamom pods)

Frosting

• 2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
• Pinch of saffron threads
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon rose water
• 2 tablespoons natural unsalted pistachios

Preparation

For candied rose petals:
Whisk egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Using pastry brush, brush rose petals on both sides with egg whites; sprinkle on both sides with sugar. Dry on nonstick rack at least 6 hours or overnight.

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pan bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Sift flour, 7 tablespoons baker's sugar, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Whisk yolks and next 4 ingredients in small bowl until smooth. Add yolk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk until smooth. Beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 7 tablespoons baker's sugar; beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff. Fold whites into batter in 3 additions. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until cakes are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks, peel off parchment, and cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap and store at room temperature.)

For frosting:
Combine 1/2 cup cream and saffron in small saucepan. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; let steep 20 minutes. Chill until cold.

Beat remaining 2 cups cream, powdered sugar, and rose water in large bowl until soft peaks form; strain in saffron cream. Beat until peaks form.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Garnish cake with rose petals and pistachios.