Raspberry Loaf Cake Ispahan

Name: Raspberry Loaf Cake Ispahan
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4.2 oz. (120 g) fresh raspberries; 5.6 oz (160 g) unsalted butter, softened; 2/3 cup + 3 1/2 tablespoons (110 g) icing (powdered) sugar; 1 1/2 cups + 4 1/2 tablespoons (170 g) almond flour; 3 large egg yolks, room temperature; 1 whole large egg, room temperature; 1/2 cup + 2 1/2 tablespoons (80 g) all-purpose flour; 3 large egg whites, room temperature; 2 1/2 tablespoons (35 g) granulated sugar; 5 teaspoons (25 g) whole milk; 1 tablespoon rosewater; icing (powdered) sugar; fresh raspberry; red rose petals

Published: Aug 29, 2021 · Modified: Jul 21, 2023 by Irina Totterman · 33 Comments

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Add this truly impressive raspberry loaf cake Ispahan cake to your recipe collection. Made with fresh raspberries and flavored with rose, this moist and delicately scented loaf cake may seem sophisticated, but it is incredibly easy to make.

Sliced raspberry loaf cake Ispahan on a white serving board

Have you ever heard of a French family dessert called Ispahan? It is a family of 42 sweet treats created by the French pastry chef Pierre Hermé: tart, choux, mille-feuille, croissant, Ispahan madeleines, Ispahan macarons, sablé, tea, jam, nougat, caramel, etc.

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What is Ispahan cake?
Raspberry loaf cake recipe
Ingredients
Recipe variations
How to make a raspberry loaf cake
Expert Tips
Storing and freezing
Recipe FAQ
Love loaf cakes? Try these next!
Recipe card
Comments

They are all famous for their unique Ispahan flavor, a combination of rose sweetness, the power of raspberry, and the floral note of fresh lychee.

Once a year, in Pierre Hermé's boutiques, there is a season of Fetish Ispahan, which is a reason to over-eat rose, lychee, and raspberry creations. So, if you plan a trip to Paris, experience all variations of Ispahan desserts in the City of Light.

Ispahan cake topped with fresh raspberries on a white serving platter

What is Ispahan cake?

Ispahan cake is a raspberry loaf cake with a delightful twist, named after the renowned Damask rose. Made with almond flour and fresh raspberries, this dense and moist treat is beautifully crafted with an eye-catching berry arrangement.

Raspberry loaf cake recipe

This raspberry loaf cake recipe is simple enough for a beginner baker.

The cake is soft, buttery, and moist. Read more about how to make a cake moist.

Thanks to juicy raspberries, it makes a great summer fruit dessert. The cake batter holds fresh raspberries, preventing them from sinking to the bottom of the cake.

It has a romantic touch of Valentine's Day due to the rosewater flavor.

This easy loaf cake is a perfect anytime cake. Serve it at celebrations, dinners, or picnics, or enjoy it with a cup of coffee or tea.

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

Butter: Use unsalted softened butter. Take it out of the fridge one to two hours before you start.

Icing sugar: Make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar.

Almond flour: Use blanched, finely ground almond flour to make the cake. Please do not try to substitute it for a coarse almond meal. Instead, follow one important tip: gently spoon it from a container into a measuring cup while measuring almond flour.

Eggs: Use large eggs for egg whites and egg yolks. Use an egg separator to easily separate egg whites from yolks while the eggs are chilled.

Sugar: Use granulated or caster sugar.

Milk: The recipe calls for whole milk.

Rose water: Use top-quality rosewater to flavor the dessert. If you aren't a fan, omit this ingredient, or replace it with vanilla or almond extract.

Flour: Use all-purpose flour to make the recipe.

Recipe variations

How to bring your own touch on the cake, trying to stay in the spirit of Ispanan?

Decorate the cake with crystallized rose petals and crushed Pink Praline - red-colored candied almonds - giving an additional crunchiness to the dessert.

Finish the cake by pouring the white chocolate and freeze-dried raspberries glaze or lemon icing (adding fresh lemon zest to the batter is also a delightful option).

To flavor the cake even more, use this downloadable 11-page guide - a complete fruit flavor pairing chart.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with rose icing sugar and decorate it with fresh raspberries and rose petals. To make rose icing sugar, blend equal parts of edible rose buds or dried rose petals and caster sugar in a blender or food processor.

How to make a raspberry loaf cake

Step 1. Preheat oven to 355°F (180°C). Sift dry ingredients (almond flour and icing sugar) into a large bowl and set aside. Sift all-purpose flour into a separate bowl.

Step 2. To make the cake batter, place the softened butter and almond mixture in a large mixing bowl and beat for 3 minutes using an electric mixer (photo 1). Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.

Step 3. Add a whole egg with egg yolks to the butter mixture and whisk for 2 minutes. Then add milk mixed with rosewater and beat for 1 minute (photo 2).

Photo 1: Butter almond mixture in a bowl Photo 2: Egg yolk mixture in a bowl — PHOTO 1 PHOTO 2

Step 4. In a separate small bowl, beat egg whites, gradually adding sugar until soft peaks form (photo 3).

Step 5. Gently fold the fluffy egg whites into the cake batter while adding flour.

Step 6. Gently stir the mixture with a rubber spatula, starting from the center and working your way up (photo 4). Be careful not to over-mix! It is best to under-mix than over-mix.

Step 7. Transfer the cake batter to a piping bag.

Photo 3: Beaten egg whites in a bowl Photo 4: Cake batter with a spatula — PHOTO 3 PHOTO 4

Step 8. Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan (opt for a nonstick or a light-colored aluminum pan) and dust it with flour.

Alternatively, use nonstick spray to spray the bottom and sides of the baking pan. Next, line the pan with parchment paper, ensuring that it extends beyond the long sides of the pan.

Pro tip: If using a silicone baking pan, read about baking with silicone molds.

Step 9. Spread ⅓ of the cake batter evenly in the prepared loaf pan. Place a layer of raspberries on top, leaving some space around the edges (photo 5). Top the raspberries with another ⅓ of the batter.

Step 10. Cover the raspberries with another ⅓ of the batter. Add more berries, again avoiding the edges of the tin. Pour the remaining batter over the fresh raspberries.

Step 11. Lower the oven temperature to 300°F (150°C) and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes until golden brown (photo 6). A knife inserted in the center of the cake should be left without streaks of the batter.

Photo 5: Raspberries over the batter in a mold Photo 6: Baked cake in a pan — PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6

Step 12. Remove the cake from the mold immediately after baking. Let it cool on a wire rack to room temperature.

Raspberry loaf cake sliced on a white serving board

Expert Tips

Make sure to use room temperature ingredients.
When breaking eggs, be cautious to avoid egg yolk and eggshells in the egg whites. Gently beat the whites without making them too firm.
Add a few drops of red food color to the batter to get a slightly rose cake color if desired.
Only use fresh berries for the cake, as the frozen ones will make it too watery.
Divide the cake batter into three parts to make equal layers of the batter and raspberries.
Using a pastry bag is optional: you can spoon the batter into a cake tin.
Don't open the oven door during baking.

Storing and freezing

Store the cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Can you freeze raspberry loaf cake? Cover the whole cooled cake or individual slices with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Or use a freezer bag and freeze the cake for up to 2 months. To thaw, place it in the fridge overnight or on the kitchen counter for 3 to 4 hours.

Recipe FAQ

What is Ispahan meaning?

Ispahan, also known as rose d'Ispahan, is a lovely pink Damask rose.

Can you make this cake gluten-free?

Follow the recipe precisely to achieve an authentic outcome, as it has a specific almond and all-purpose flour ratio.

Can you substitute or omit rosewater?

If you don't like rosewater, omit it or use vanilla extract instead.

Can you make the cake with frozen raspberries?

Use only fresh raspberries instead of frozen ones when baking the cake. Frozen berries release excessive juice and will not give the raspberry loaf cake its sought-after inner beauty.

Love loaf cakes? Try these next!

Enjoy a collection of loaf cakes on the website, from quick bread to Pain d'epices and Leopard milk bread.

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Recipe card

The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from niksya.ru. It was originally published on February 19, 2018. It has been updated and may differ from what was originally published

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About Irina Totterman

I'm Irina, an experienced home baker with over 30 years of expertise and the blogger behind Baking Like a Chef (since 2018), where I share baking recipes, tips, and tricks. My recipes have been featured in the renowned French Chef Simon and Le Journal des Femmes.