These Persian Love Cupcakes will enchant you with their looks and flavor. With a hint of halva flavor, salted pistachios on the top, and rose in the flavor, shape, and to garnish on top, these beautiful cupcakes are every bit as tasty in each bite as they are to make.
Valentine’s Day is practically here and I am so ready to celebrate it with my girls and hubby. Each year, I try to come up with something beautiful and delicious that all of us can enjoy. Last year, I made Rose Pistachio Ice Cream which was a huge hit in our house. We still make it even if it isn’t V-Day. Whenever I think of love, romance, or Valentine’s Day, I automatically associate rose and pistachios. I’m not sure why. You would think I would think chocolate or strawberries, but nope. Not me.
These Persian Love Cupcakes have been on my mind since last year. I originally wanted to make them then but I was having issues with getting the texture right. I’m so excited to share that the texture is finally perfect! Soft, moist, and spongy, each cupcake literally feels like you are eating air. Almost.
I used a rose mold for the cupcakes which give it a beautiful shape and presentation. I’ll link the molds below if you would like to make the same. If you choose to make the cupcakes in a regular liner, I would poke holes on the top instead of poking holes at the bottom to fill with the saffron syrup. Continue to garnish with rose petals and pistachios once the syrup has been absorbed. With the rose mold, I preferred to fill the syrup from the bottom to keep the rose shape intact.
Looking for more romantic recipes? Look no further:
Thandai Infused Rainbow Crème Brûlée (Vegan)
Chocolate Samosa
Mango Coconut Panna Cotta Tart
Mini Upside Down Spiced Peach Cakes
Rose Pistachio Ice Cream
Persian Love Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 120gm 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 120gm sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 100gm All Purpose Flour
- 40gm Almond Flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2-3 tsp rosewater**
For the Saffron Syrup:
- 1 large pinch saffron threads
- 1/4 c water
- 1/4 c sugar
To Garnish:
- 1/4 c salted pistachios, chopped
- 1 Tbsp dried rose petals, lightly crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Grease with butter or cooking spray.
- In a bowl, combine the AP flour, Almond flour, and baking powder. Mix well to combine and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs and beat until you have a thick and fluffy batter.
- Add in the rosewater and mix well.
- Fill each liner with batter 3/4 of the way.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes.
- Check with a toothpick to see if it is done before removing from the oven.
For the Saffron Syrup:
- When there is 4 minutes left on the timer for the cake, combine the saffron and water in a small saucepan or a mini skillet.
- Let bloom for 3 minutes.
- Add in the sugar during the last minute and turn on heat to medium flame.
- Let the sugar dissolve and stir lightly to help the saffron incorporate well into the syrup.
- Turn off heat when the sugar is dissolved.
- When the cupcakes are out of the oven, take a toothpick and poke holes in it.
- Gently spoon in the syrup into the holes allowing it to absorb within the cupcakes.
- Garnish with salted pistachios and rose petals.
Notes
**Rosewater can be strong or light in flavor depending on the brand. Mine is a little light on the flavor so I tend to add a teaspoon extra. When you are making the cupcakes, smell your batter. If the floral notes of rose are coming through, that should be enough rosewater. Start with 2 teaspoons and add only 1 extra if your rosewater is light in flavor.
Here are the tools I used for this recipe:
These looks amazing
We had an opportunity to try Sapna’s amazing cupcakes and these are simply divine! My Persian husband was raving about these! It reminded him of his childhood. Highly recommend!