Cinnamon, rose and pistachio melt together to make this delectable cake from ‘the golden girl of Persian cookery’, Sabrina Ghayour.

Ideal for those who are not experienced bakers – the British-Iranian chef admits that baking is not her strong point – these evocative flavours stand alone to create a memorable yet incredibly straightforward cake.

Serves 10

For the cake:

• 3 large free-range eggs
• 200g caster sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200g ground almonds
• 100g desiccated coconut
• 2 heaped tsp ground cinnamon
• 150g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 large carrots, coarsely grated
• 100g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
• Icing sugar, for dusting

For the rosewater cream:

• 300ml double cream
• 2–3 tbsp rosewater
• 3–4 tbsp icing sugar
• A few chopped pistachio nuts 

1   Preheat the oven to 160°C/Fan 140°C/Gas Mark 3. Line a 23cm (9in) loaf tin with enough non-stick baking paper to cover the base and sides. You won’t need to grease the tin or the paper, as the oils from the nuts and butter in the batter prevent the cake from sticking to the paper. 

2   Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract together in a mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds, coconut and cinnamon and stir, then add the melted butter and give the ingredients a thorough mix.

3   Add the grated carrots and pistachios and mix again until the ingredients are evenly blended, then gently pour or spoon the batter into your prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour, or until it feels firm to the touch and a crust forms on top. Check the cake at 40 minutes to ensure it is cooking evenly.

4   Once cooked, allow to cool in the tin, overnight if you can wait; the cake is much moister once cooled and tastes better as a result. 

5   To make the rosewater cream, whip the double cream along with the rosewater and icing sugar, either by hand or using an electric hand whisk, until the cream is thick and unctuous. Dollop a generous spoonful on the side of a slice of the cake and dust the cake and cream lightly with icing sugar.Top with some chopped pistachios.

Top Tip

For best results, avoid putting the baked cake (without the cream) in the fridge and instead keep it on the countertop covered with a sheet of cling film. It should stay edible like this for up to a week.