The Silk Road Inspiration

I have been experimenting with persian inspired orange cake.

A few years ago we brought some friends, who were visiting Ireland, to one of our favourite places in Dublin: The Chester Beatty Library situated in Dublin castle Yard.

The Chester Beatty Library https://chesterbeatty.ie/ is a wonderful space, full of displays featuring manuscripts, books and treasures from around the world and it is totally free. We are so privilaedged here in Ireland to have so many galleries, libraries and museums which are totally free to the public.

Now, in the atrieum is housed the Silk Road Cafe https://silkroadcafe.ie/ . It has some great food, and the aromas just entice you in. This was where I first tasted Persian Orange Cake. It was so moist, so citrusy, ( I know not a real word) and so moreish.

During the last year I have been working on making this cake. Having read many recipes I found that almond meal or graound almonds are used. Personally I find almonds just too over powering I generally shy away from using almonds in baking beacuse of that.

I have have had some total disasters in trying to come up with a recipe which evoked the taste of that orange cake but I have finally come up with a recipe which I am very happy with. In fact I have two each one as delicious as the other even though I say so myself. And before anyone says “self praise is no praise” I want to say that it is right to praise oneself and to be happy with one achievements.

I hope to try this recipe using lemons rather than oranges and I will let you know how that goes. You see, I prefer the taste of of lemon to orange so I need to experiment with lemons. In the meantime if you would like to try my version of Persian inpired Orange cake I will post it next week. I need a photo or two to go with the recipe.

Until then have a good week.