My boyfriend loves subtly sweet treats, and Cayk-e Yazdi is his favorite. I’ve made them several times, but never managed to get the cracked muffin tops that are the hallmark of this delicious muffin.

Our friend Hadi graciously offered to cook these delicious cakes to show me how it’s done. The recipe belongs to Javad Javadi’s mom, and if you haven’t yet watched his channel you should definitely check it out. (It’s mostly in Farsi.)

I was surprised there is no baking soda in the ingredient list, but this recipe uses fruit salt, which is 60% baking soda and 40% citric acid.

Toasting your sesame seeds in a pan makes them infinitely more flavorful. You can also buy them already toasted. (Thanks to Shadi for that tip!) I hadn’t realized what a difference toasting the seeds makes until comparing the Sohan Konjedi you buy in the US to the kind you get in Iran – it absolutely makes all the difference. Even for your barbari – always toast the sesame!

Cayk-e Yazdi: Cardamom Muffins

Print Recipe

Yazdi Cake: subtly sweet Persian cardamom and rosewater muffins

• Author: Chef Javad Javadi’s Mom / Hadi Esmaeilzadeh / Khareji Girlfriend

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• Flour 2 3/8 cup
• Sugar 1 cup
• Yogurt 2/3 cup
• Vegetable Oil 3/4 cup
• Freshly Ground Cardamom 1 tsp
• Baking Powder 1 1/2 tsp
• Fruit Salt 1/2 tsp
• Eggs 3
• Vanilla 1/2 tsp
• Rosewater 2 tsp
• Toasted Sesame Seeds 3 tbsp
• Honey 3 tbsp
• Ground Pistachios 1/4 cup

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Oil your muffin tin, or line with paper cups
3. Grind the cardamom
4. Mix flour, baking powder, and fruit salt
5. Sift the flour mixture three times
6. Beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture looks pale yellow
7. Mix the yogurt into the egg mixture
8. Mix rosewater into the egg mixture
9. Add cardamom to the egg mixture
10. Add vanilla into the egg mixture
11. Gradually combine the flour mixture into the egg mixture
12. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full of batter
13. Dip a butter knife into some oil, and use it to draw an “X” on the top of each muffin
14. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on tops of muffins before placing into the oven
15. Put the muffins onto the top shelf in the oven at 425 degrees.  After 10 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for 20 more minutes or until done.
16. While baking, prepare pistachios for garnish by slicing or grinding
17. Thin honey with 2 tbsp hot water
18. Brush honey onto tops of muffins and sprinkle with pistachios.
19. Enjoy!