I have to be honest right away, just like with the cheating on winter pea soup.
This is almost Pierre Hermé’s recipe because the rose syrup is probably not what it should be. And I say probably because,
having no idea what it tastes like, and, knowing there was none available here with that name that I know of, I gave up looking any further for it. I really never put much effort into it to begin with.
having no idea what it tastes like, and, knowing there was none available here with that name that I know of, I gave up looking any further for it. I really never put much effort into it to begin with.
I infused a simple syrup with rose water.
With that out of the way, I must say that today’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie group, Ispahan Loaf, is simply stunning. Something I obviously expected from a Pierre Hermé recipe. He developed a line of desserts with the name Ispahan, which is a name of a fragrant rose and the old capital of Persia, as Dorie explains in the book.
At first sight it’s a simple loaf cake with almond flour and fresh raspberries. Well, it is and it’s not. The method of mixing begins like a macaron, with almond flour and confectioners’ sugar being sifted and egg whites beaten. But then it changes completely with butter, egg yolks and flour.
The beaten egg whites are added at the end. And then it’s baked in a low oven for a cake. I had to crank it up a bit after half hour or more, because the cake was still too wet and it didn’t seem to be going anywhere good.
So the last 20 minutes or so where at 325ºC. Next time I will bake it all at this tº from the start.
Though there’s nothing that stands out much about the list of ingredients or the mixing method, it probably has to do with the amounts of the former, because the cake is soft and has an interesting texture. Though it looks compact and, in my case, barely rose in the oven, it’s not dense at all. But it’s not light either. It’s just right.
Since I didn’t follow instructions, because I didn’t read the recipe carefully, and just scattered the raspberries in only one layer, they sank. Next time I will take the time to make two layers with three rows of raspberries each. It looks so pretty when the berries are scattered all over.
Since I didn’t follow instructions, because I didn’t read the recipe carefully, and just scattered the raspberries in only one layer, they sank. Next time I will take the time to make two layers with three rows of raspberries each. It looks so pretty when the berries are scattered all over.
A fantastic almond raspberry loaf cake, to serve with a nice cup of tea or even hot chocolate. Or to snack during the day. Or night while working, if you’re a night owl. Or take as a gift to a friend’s house.
My cake had a very faint rose something in it. It wasn’t even a definite after flavor. I kind of went easy on the rose water with the syrup, because it can feel a bit soapy sometimes, and I wasn’t about to spoil this recipe with fresh raspberries that I love.
On another note, I second Cher, who has ideas about varying the flavors, with blackberries for instance.
This is definitely a cake that is phenomenal as a base for many other combinations.
Almonds go with so many berries and fruits and flavorings that it’s worth trying it again. And again. And again.
Almonds go with so many berries and fruits and flavorings that it’s worth trying it again. And again. And again.
By the way, I always thought all the Ispahan creations included lychees also. I wonder why they were left out here. If we had to go online to buy rose syrup, buying canned lychees is a piece of cake. I’m very intrigued as to what it might have tasted.
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I made only one row of raspberries, and they obviously sank to the bottom. So it might be better to follow the instructions.
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Ingredients
- 2 ½ Tbs rose syrup
- 2 Tbs whole milk
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 3 large eggs (separated)
- 1 whole egg
- 2 ½ Tbs sugar
- 12 Tbs 170g butter, at room tº
- ¼ teaspoon rose extract (I didn’t use it)
- ½ cup + 1 Tbs all purpose flour
- 1 pint raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and dust with ground almonds.
- Mix rose syrup with milk in a small bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with an electric mixer, add butter and sift the almond flour with the confectioners´ sugar on top of it. Beat this together for 3 minutes, until light, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the egg yolks, one at a time, while beating at medium speed.
- Add the whole egg and beat one more minute.
- Add the rose syrup and milk (and the rose extract if using). Mix well.
- In a large bowl beat the egg whites until beginning to hold soft peaks, add the sugar and beat until firm and glossy. (I did it during the three minutes the butter and almonds were beating.)
- With a spatula, mix the whites in three additions, alternating with the flour in two additions, into the egg batter. Do it gently but as quickly as possible.
- Pour 1/3 of the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange half the raspberries in three rows. Add half of the remaining batter and cover gently the raspberries. Arrange the remaining berries the same way as before, and finally cover them with the remaining batter.
- Lower the oven to 325ºF and bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester inserted comes out clean. If browning too quickly, lower the oven to 300ºC.
- Let cool on wire rack and serve sprinkled with confectioners’ sugar.
Your cake is gorgeous Paula. I enjoyed this one too.
Oh my what I would do for a slice of this Raspberry Almond Cake. Your baking and photographs are mouthwatering, Paula.
Paula, this is stunning…I swear I am going to go buy some raspberries and make it. My mouth is watering, literally, looking at that one photo I'm about ready to pin right now! Have a wonderful weekend!
Wow, that texture looks wonderful. There's something magic when you combine raspberries with a subtle rose scent!
Heidi of 101cookbooks.com has a nice rhubarb and rosewater syrup recipe that you should check out.
Happy weekend, Paula!
I did not buy the rosy ingredients for this. I'm thinking of doing orange flower instead and make a simple syrup with that. I do like your raspberry bottomed cake – it looks delicious. Sometimes it is okay to not follow directions. 🙂
That looks perfect and chock full of raspberry. I am going to give this another try with the fresh fruit,
but I thought the cake itself was perfect. Very interesting flavors. Have a great weekend.
I used rosewater but I think I was a bit more heavy handed than you cos the flavour came through well. I really like all your photos! And I loved this cake!
The cake looks absolutely beautiful and what I love the most about the cake is the add of fresh raspberries and the rose syrup. Must be very delicious.
This looks delicious and if you could use more almond flour it would be gluten-free too! I have been experimenting with almond butter brownies and almond flour in short bread bars. I love it. I will need to make this asap!
Your raspberry loaf looks fabulous. I don't know what you meant by it not doming. Was it supposed to dome? Like you commented on my Post, we both made our own syrup. I was sorta flying blind also because I had never tasted Rose Syrup before. Simple syrup and rose water. I think we would have had to put a little red food coloring in the syrup to get the pink color. I didn't especially care about the color – it was so good. I cooked it for a longer time and let it cool off in the oven for an hour before inverting it. I agree with you and Cher that this is quite a delicious cake that would work perfectly well with other fruit/berry combos.
Paula, your cake looks delicious. I wasn't a hit for me. The rose flavor was too overwhelming. I like the idea of your subtler homemade rose syrup. Of course, I have a lifetime supply of commercial rose syrup and extract to use up. As with many of us, I also had trouble with the cooking time and oven temp.
Raspberries and almods are a favorite combination of mine. I can imagine how lush this lovely cake would be with a cup of tea! A terrific recipe!
Soapy! That's a perfect description of what mine tastes like! Your cake looks wonderful and the raspberries on the bottom just look like a raspberry layer.
Beautiful and scrumptious cake, Paula! I have never heard of Isaphan cake nor did I ever baked with rose water. Very interesting!
Paula…this cake is simply beautiful! I love cakes flavored with almond meal/flour…and they bake to a great texture! I purchased a bottle of rose water with the best intent of exploring new recipes for it..so this looks like a perfect place to start. Blackberries would be a great addition, too! Lovely photos…. : )
Who cares about where the raspberries are! Your cake looks perfect and delicious!
The texture of that loaf looks super moist!
It is such a pretty cake with the raspberries inside.
Good point about the lychées I think they might have been delicious. I really like that you and others who made their own syrup didn't end up with pink cakes. I don't find pink cakes appealing. Glad for your success.
Absolutely stunning! 🙂