Monday, January 30, 2023

Persian Love Cake Muffins


These eggless muffins based on the flavors of the Persian Love Cake are ultimate in flavors and make a great breakfast for special occasions. The flavors and aroma of almond, rose, cardamom, and saffron in these muffins make it addictive.


I received samples of Taylor and Colledge  Almond Extract Paste and Dixie Crystals Sugar to aid the process of developing delicious recipes. Trust me, Taylor and Colledge pastes are amazing in giving the perfect top notch flavors to your baked goods. I personally love the almond extract paste as it gives the exact flavor of almonds. Just like these muffins, the almond extract paste gives the best flavors in Almond Cranberry Orange Muffins, Sweet Coconut and Almond Rolls, and Eggless Pear Almond mini Loaves. I highly recommend Dixie Crystals sugar for its quality. The best!



What is so special about these muffins?

Everything!! The flavor, aroma, texture….These muffins are perfect for anyone to fall in love. These muffins are inspired by the Persian Love Cake. The flavors in these cakes are more similar to a couple of desserts from our cuisine. The muffin flavors will remind you of the flavors of Badam Halwa, Kesari, Maida Burfi. These muffins are like having three sweets in a muffin form. The flavors of almond, rose, cardamom, and saffron are well balanced without one overpowering the other. Having said these,  I do not think there is any need for further reasoning as to why these muffins are special.


The ingredients required to make these muffins are


All purpose flour - This forms the base for the muffins.


Almond flour - Adds flavor and texture


Semolina - Gives the texture


Saffron - Gives characteristic aroma and flavor.


Milk - Whole milk is used in this recipe.


Rose essence - This gives the rose flavor to these muffins. This is stronger than the rose water. If using rose water, add 1.5 to 2 teaspoons.


Ghee - This adds flavor, aroma, and gives the fat content holding the muffins.


Baking powder and baking soda - These are the leaveners used in these muffins.



Taylor and Colledge Almond extract paste - A little of this paste yields perfect flavors in these muffins.


Dixie Crystals sugar - Sweetens the muffins. If you do not have this brand, any sugar can be used.


Pistachios - These nuts add a characteristic touch. In addition to topping, a few of these can be added to the batter too.


Cardamom - The aromatic spice that adds aroma and flavor.



Do you need special baking containers for making these heart shaped muffins?


Not really. Though heart shaped silicone baking cups are available, heart shape can be made using cupcake liners, aluminum foil, and regular muffin tin, if you do not want to spend on the baking cups. For a long time, I wanted to try the hack that I saw in social media and share with my readers. It worked great. Plus, these Persian Love Cake inspired muffins are perfect to be baked in a heart shaped cup for special celebrations. If you are in a hurry, just make it in regular shape. The taste will still be amazing!



When can you serve these muffins?


These muffins taste outrageously delicious when served warm and are perfect to serve any day, special occasions, and for Valentine’s Day. Since these are inspired by the popular Persian cake, these heart shaped muffins are a perfect fit for Valentine’s Day menu. Since it is around the corner, make a note to surprise your love and family with these eggless muffins.



These delicious muffins can be made in about 30 -35 minutes from start to finish. Once you prep all the ingredients, it is all a quick mix, pour, and bake. In about 16-17 minutes these muffins are done baking. Different ovens work differently, so always check with a toothpick for doneness. A clear toothpick after inserting inside the muffins shows that they are baked completely. Kids can even make this easy recipe.

These muffins can be stored for 1-2 days at room temperature and for about a week in the refrigerator. I have not tried that beyond that period of time, as it is gobbled up real quick. The flavors of these muffins make this a crowd pleaser and is a great idea to bake and share with friends and families too. These not too overly sweet muffins are perfect for a light dessert too.


This is the first edition of #muffinMonday for 2023. Since, Valentine's Day is coming real quick, I wanted to share one of our favorite muffins with you all to bake for this Valentine's Day as well as in the future years too. #MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.


While you are at it, here are a few Valentine's Day food ideas from the blog from appetizer to dessert. 






Ingredients
Makes 13 muffins
Prep time - 10 minutes 
Bake time - 16 minutes
Cool time - 5 minutes


All purpose flour - 1 and 1/3 cups
Almond flour - 1/2 cup 
Semolina - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1/3 cup, melted
Saffron - 1/2 tsp
Milk - 1cup
Dixie Crystals Sugar - 2/3 cup plus a tbsp
Rose essence - 3/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tsp
Baking soda - 1/2 tsp
Cardamom - 1/8 tsp
Pistachios 
Aquafaba - 3 tbsp
Taylor and Colledge Almond extract paste - 1/4 tsp


Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 

Warm the milk and add the saffron to infuse flavor and color. 
To a bowl add the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, semolina, and almond flour. Mix and set aside.


To the saffron milk, add sugar, almond extract paste, rose essence, and melted ghee. Whisk quickly.


Add it to the dry ingredients.


Whisk quickly to form a lump free batter.


Fill about two-thirds in each lined cavity in a regular muffin tin. Top with pistachios.


Bake at 350 degrees F for 16-17 min, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Remove from the oven. Cool. Serve warm. Store the remaining in airtight container.



January 2023Muffin Monday Recipes





8 comments:

  1. I love the heart shapes and the interesting combination of flavors!

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  2. Love all of that saffron! Cute hack to make your muffins heartshaped.

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  3. What a fun idea to make heart shapes out of normal muffin cups! Perfect for your lovely muffins!

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  4. These look like they are packed full of deliciousness...and I love the tip for making heart shapes! Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck - Colleen

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  5. These sound delicious and I love the idea for homemade hearts using a regular pan.

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  6. The flavors in this muffin are powerful and amazing. What a great muffin without eggs. Thanks for the recipe.

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  7. Gorgeous muffins! You reminded me that I need to do more aquafaba baking.

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