RECIPE Cake Yazdi
Makes 12individual cakes
INGREDIENTS
8tablespoons (1stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan 1 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons rice flour 1 teaspoon baking powder ½ teaspoon baking soda ¼ teaspoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
½ cup sugar
½ cup plain whole milk yogurt
1 tablespoon rose water 1tablespoon chopped pistachios
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle position. Grease a 12cup muffin tin with butter. Sift the all-purpose flour, rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cardamom into a small bowl. Whisk thoroughly until fully combined. Set aside.
In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the melted butter, yogurt and rose water and gently whisk until smooth, another 2 minutes. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until fully integrated. Gently fold in the egg whites until you have a uniform mixture, being careful not deflate the eggs. Fold in the pistachios. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling threequarters full. Bake until the tops are browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Let the cakes cool completely before unmolding them. Serve with tea (this is a must). Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
— From “Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life”
by Homa Dashtaki (W.W. Norton, $40)