Clare Mosley’s Persian love cake

Of this lovely cake, Clare Mosley says: “It looks absolutely magnificent. It’s got a fabulous texture and zinginess to it and a slightly exotic flavour. It does look like it has a lot of ingredients, but actually they’re all quick and easy.”

The retired GP admits, “I’m not a master cake baker. I keep it very simple. I’m not going to be on Bake Off anytime soon. Healthy bake off, maybe…” but adds that “you need to have sweet treats. And all the difference is that you’re not using white flour, you’re not using white sugar. The sweetness [in this] comes from fruit and it has lots of nutrients, and there’s more fibre, it’s not sending your sugars soaring.”

In her new cookbook, The Fast 800 Favourites, she writes: “For lovely Michael, this enchantingly exotic concoction lives up to its name. Not sure I do it justice, but it certainly goes down well, with its tangy, orange-flavoured topping, and rich, nutty base. High in protein and nutrients, it has no added sugar, is low-carb and feels like a real treat… Enjoy!”

Clare Mosley’s Persian love cake

Prep time 30 minutes | Cook time 30 minutes
Per serving 273 cals | Protein 8g | Carbs 9.8g | Sugar 10.5g

Ingredients
(Serves 8)

100g dried figs, finely chopped
60g coconut oil or butter
2 medium free-range eggs
60g shelled pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
100g ground almonds
1tsp ground cinnamon
1tsp ground cardamom
1tsp bicarbonate of soda
2tbsp freeze-dried raspberries
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

For the icing
60g full-fat cream cheese
1tsp honey
1tsp finely grated lemon zest

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Line the base of a 20 × 10cm loaf tin with non-stick baking paper.

2. Place the figs, coconut oil or butter and eggs in a bowl and blitz with a stick blender for about one minute, until creamy but retaining some texture.

3. Stir in 40g of the pistachios, half the orange zest, the orange juice, ground almonds, cinnamon, cardamom, bicarbonate of soda, half the dried raspberries and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well, then add the cider vinegar and mix again.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and bake for about 30 minutes, until cooked through and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Turn out of the tin and leave to cool on a wire rack.

5. To make the topping, mix the remaining orange zest with the cream cheese, honey and lemon zest in a small bowl. Spread it on to the cooled cake, then sprinkle the remaining chopped pistachios and dried raspberries on top.

COOK’S TIP: This freezes well (so you don’t need to eat it all at once, as Michael was frequently tempted to do). You could use a loaf tin liner if you have one.

The Fast 800 Favourites by Dr Clare Bailey Mosley is published in hardback by Short Books, priced £26. Photography by Smith & Gilmour. Available November 20.