Persian Love Cake

For the cake:
1 cup almond flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2  eggs, room temperature
zest of one medium lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon rose water
1/4 cup whole milk

For the icing: 
2 oz (50 g) white chocolate*
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp rose water
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Culinary grade rose petals, to top
Almonds or pistachios, to top**

Directions:

1. For the cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flours, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, whip butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, whipping after each addition. Next, add lemon zest, lemon juice, rose water, and whole milk.
4. Add half the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Mix until mostly incorporated, then add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined, do not overmix.
5. Pour the batter into the cake pan, spread with spatula until even (batter will be thick). Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool at room temperature for at least an hour.
6. Make the icing: Chop the white chocolate and place it in small a heat-proof bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave, stirring every 10-15 seconds (you don’t want to burn the chocolate). Once fully melted, whisk in the lemon juice and rose water. Next, add the powdered sugar one tablespoon at a time.
7. Pour the icing on top of the cake. Spread evenly with a spatula. Top with a sprinkling of rose petals and almonds/pistachios.

Notes:
*I used the Ghiradelli premium baking white chocolate. They come in 4-oz bars, so just use half a bar.
**Persian love cake is typically topped with pistachios, but I opted for almonds for my cake.