Cake Yazdi Tastes of Warm Desert Air and Childhood Memories

I was born in Iran and spent my childhood summers in the hot desert climate of our village in the Yazd province in the center of the country. It was in these streets that I ran free: playing with cousins and courting mischief with fellow neighborhood kids; taking naps when it was too hot to play under the blazing afternoon sun; and screeching with delight when the irrigation channels flowed, chasing the incoming water from grove to grove. There is nowhere else on earth where my bones feel more comfortable. 

The nostalgia I feel for both that time and place is baked into Cake Yazdi, a traditional cake famous in these parts. Like the desert, this cake is seemingly dry compared to other sponge cakes. Its dense crumbs belie the richness of its flavor and, paradoxically, tender texture. And like the desert’s night air, it is intoxicatingly fragrant — kissed by rose water and cardamom. 

The best Cake Yazdi is made in the bakeries of Yazd, where I am convinced, the longitude and latitude lines of the city are part of their secret recipes. For years, I had neither the courage nor the arrogance to try and recreate it. I was too afraid to get it wrong. As if merely trying would burst the exuberant safety of my childhood memories. 

When I found out that some versions of the recipe contained yogurt, my confidence as a yogurt-maker humbled me to try and capture the essence of the cake. It ended up taking me seven years and dozens of failed batches. When I got the taste right, the texture was wrong. When I got the texture right, the taste was slightly off. I think I finally got somewhere once I let go of the gravity of the memories and just followed my senses. Now, when I bake the recipe that landed in my cookbook Yogurt & Whey: Recipes of an Iranian Immigrant Life, I feel unbridled joy when my childhood friends, who share a nostalgia for Yazd, react as though they are tasting home in this perfect little cake. 

Traditionally these cakes are made in small fluted molds, each a single-serve portion, but for home-baking ease, I’ve opted for muffin tins. While a bit fiddly, the texture is significantly improved by separating the egg yolks and whites. And, of course, my favorite ingredient, yogurt, tenderizes the batter.