Once upon a time, a Persian girl fell in love with a prince. To entice him to madly love her back she baked the prettiest, most fragrant and delicious cake and filled it with magical powers. Did this love cake work?
There appear to be two endings to this tale. The first is that the prince was indeed enticed by the spell, fell for the girl and they lived happily ever after.
The second is that the spell didn't work and that the girl had to eat the entire cake by herself. Which is to say, she lived even more happily ever after.
If you've ever bitten into a slice of Persian love cake, you'd understand that the girl was a winner either way. It truly is an enchanted cake.
Perfumed yet studly
Persian love cake is fragranced with an intoxicating blend of rosewater, cardamom and saffron spices. It's also studded with pistachios and flaked almonds, which add a delightful nutty flavour and dense texture. Cook instructor and Iranian refugee Mahshid Babzartabi likens it to "a marriage" between western and eastern sweets.
"It was a new style of cake saving its western specifications and base, but it carried a special touch of Persian aroma and spices at the same time," she says. "This combination [resulted in] a whole new adventure in sweets land, called love cake.
Mahshid Babzartabi shares the love at Free To Feed, the cafe she set up to help others through "the magic of food". Source: Alex Smee
"Iranian literature is full of love stories all described in a poetic way, so it's not a big surprise to give a name like love cake."
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A little sugar syrup
Recipes vary wildly, which is interesting for a treat that is allegedly based wholeheartedly on tradition. Most versions agree that layers are important - much like a fine romance.
Poh Ling Yeow created a version of Persian love cake that has a crumb base made from almonds, sugar and butter, with a light-as-air cake that bakes on top. Missing from her recipe is what many Persian love cake connoisseurs would deem mandatory: a syrup layer.
Middle Eastern cakes often involve skewering cake with small holes before pouring a spiced sugar syrup over the lot. This extra-sweet layer does seem like it should be present in a love cake, but Poh's not fussed. Her recipe is a winning affair even without it.
You can try Poh's recipe .
Two extra pluses: this cake used Poh's super easy 'bung and stir' method, and it's gluten-free to boot. Source: Murdoch Books
Sri Lankans winning hearts
Sri Lankans would agree that you can give the syrup a miss. They have their own version of love cake that's equally as famous -and equally as cloaked in legend - as the Persian version.
The Sri Lankan story goes that love cake dates back to the 16th century when the Portuguese controlled the coastal areas of the country. The cake was created using elements of traditional Portuguese cakes like semolina, with local spices like nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. It was called "bolo di amor", or "cake of love" by the Portuguese.
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Love cake
Why love? Well, that's a question that has seen naming theories swirl around this cake like, well, icing. Some say the cake was baked by Sri Lankan girls to win the hearts of Portuguese sailors. Another theory has it that the rich ingredients the cake demands - sugar, spices and butter - meant you would only ever make it for someone you loved dearly.
It was called "bolo di amor", or "cake of love" by the Portuguese.
"I have Sri Lankan friends with more expansive theories, saying the three layers within the cake equate to the three stages of love," says . "But frankly it's drawing a longbow."
Across generations with love
Deborah shared her mother cooking legend Charmaine Solomon's family recipe with SBS Food. It was a recipe passed down to Charmaine by Deborah's grandmother. Charmaine added lime zest and preserved pumpkin to enhance her mother's traditional recipe.
Find the Solomon family love cake recipe .
The cake itself is made from semolina and many eggs, creating a fragrant, sweet, lightly spiced cake with a moist chewy inside and a crunchy exterior. Source: Sharyn Cairns
"Sri Lanka love cake was my grandmother's favourite cake," says Deborah. "It was her signature dish. I only make it once a year and when you see how much sugar is in it, you'll see why."
Sugar and spice and all things nice
Shaun Christie-David of social enterprise restaurant agrees that the amount of sweetness packed in a love cake recipe is potentially the number one reason for its moniker.
The smell will stay in the house for weeks.
"And we wonder why we have the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world!" he tells SBS Food.
For Christie-David, there are plenty of other reasons why a love cake is a love cake.
"To me, it is the nostalgia of the intoxicating blending of the rosewater and cardamom and nutmeg all baking in the oven," he says. "The smell will stay in the house for weeks."
Find Paul Hollywood's very British version of a strawberry love cake .
Does baking a cake in the shape of a heart for someone you love qualify? Source: Paul Hollywood Pies and Puds
Tradition is important
According to Christie-David, making a true love cake is also about being true to the traditional recipe and getting the balance right between the crunchy top layer and the softness of the cake beneath. "Somehow it never gets stale," he marvels.
For Christie-David's mum, love cake is more about the combination of all of the above. "Spice, sweetness, memory and time" all make this cake a love cake for her.
Charmaine Solomon notes all of the above, but told SBS Food that when it all comes down to it, love cake is so-called simply because "making it is a labour of love!"
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