Cake Yazdi – Persian Cardamom Muffins
Mar 12, 2019, Updated Oct 05, 2025
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Cake Yazdi is a classic Persian muffin that’s popular for its flavors of cardamom and rosewater. Perfectly fluffy in texture with a golden top sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds, these Persian-style muffins are as beautiful as they are delicious.
These Persian muffins are very simple to make and you can have them for breakfast, dessert or just as a snack!
If you’re a fan of Persian sweets, you know I have some tasty recipes on the website such as Persian Saffron Cake (Cake Sharbati), Persian Love Cake, Persian Rosettes (Nan Panjereh), toot (Persian marzipan) and Cardamom Cookies. These Persian cardamom muffins are another one of my favorites – and they’re easy enough to make that they’re suitable for even novice bakers.
Table of Contents
All About This Recipe
Cake Yazdi is a traditional Persian recipe for delicious cardamom muffins filled with Persian flavors. These delightful muffins, originating from Yazd province in Iran (hence the name), are a staple in Persian baking. Persians love them for their delicate sweetness, soft texture, and aromatic flavors.
Another ingredient that these muffins extra good is the three tablespoons of cornstarch. Cornstarch makes these rosewater cardamom muffins really soft and fluffy on the outside while keeping the muffins’ tops crispy.
What Are The Ingredients?
- Eggs: Make sure the eggs are at room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar: It’s best to use regular granulated sugar for this recipe. I don’t recommend using any other sweetener.
- Plain Greek Yogurt: It adds moisture and and gives the muffins a nice tender crumbliness.
- Oil: It’s best to use neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed, canola or avocado oil.
- Ground Cardamom and Rosewater: They provide a warm and floral aroma that is distinctive to Persian pastries, giving Cake Yazdi its signature fragrance.
- All-Purpose Flour: The base that provides structure to the muffins, creating a balance between fluffiness and density.
- Cornstarch: Helps to reduce the density of the muffins, making them airy and fluffy without compromising structure.
- Baking Powder: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the muffins rise evenly for a domed, bakery-style top.
How to Make Cake Yazdi
Step 1: Prepare the Oven and Muffin Tin
Preheat the oven to 400°F to ensure the initial rise. Line a muffin tin with paper liners to prevent sticking and make cleanup easy.
Step 2: Whisk Eggs and Sugar
Whisk together eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl until the mixture is pale and slightly frothy. This incorporates air, resulting in a fluffy texture.
Step 3: Add Wet Ingredients
Stir in the Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, ground cardamom, and rosewater. Mix until smooth and well combined.
Step 4: Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together.
Step 5: Gradually Mix Wet and Dry Ingredients
Add half of the flour mixture to the egg-wet ingredients. Whisk well. Then, add the remaining flour mixture and mix until combined but do not overmix the batter.
Overmixing can result in dense muffins, so once the ingredients are fully combined you can stop mixing!
Step 6: Fill the Muffin Liners
Use an ice cream scoop or spoon to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin liners, filling them about ¾ full to give some room for the muffins to rise. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on top of each muffin for added flavor and texture.
Step 7: Bake in Two Stages
Place the muffins in the preheated oven at 400°F and bake for eight minutes.
Reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for another 10-12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Once baked, take the muffins out of the oven, let cool for 15 minutes then serve with tea, coffee, or milk (or whatever you like to drink with your muffins… my brother-in-law would probably pull out a diet cola, to each their own)!
Serving Suggestions
Cake Yazdi is a delightful addition to breakfast, afternoon tea gatherings, or festive dessert tables. Its delicate cardamom and rosewater flavors make it an exquisite treat that pairs beautifully with so many different flavors.
I love having it with a cold glass of milk but I know people usually prefer it with a hot cup of coffee or Persian tea, lightly brewed and infused with a hint of cardamom to match the muffins!
Recipe Tips
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure eggs, yogurt, and other ingredients are at room temperature for a smooth batter and even baking.
- Use Rosewater Sparingly: Make sure you don’t use too much rosewater because it can overpower all the other flavors.
- Proper Mixing: Whisk the wet and dry ingredients separately before combining to avoid overmixing and ensure a tender texture.
- Follow the Oven Temperature Steps: The oven heat is very important. You have to bake these muffins at 400°F at first and the reduce the heat to 350°F to get a perfect golden texture.
More Delicious Persian Dessert Recipes
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Persian Coconut Cookies (Shirini Nargili)
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Walnut Filled Persian Pastry – Qottab
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Persian Raisin Cookies (Shirini Keshmeshi)
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Nan-e Berenji (Persian Rice Cookies)
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Cake Yazdi – Persian Cardamom Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 2 tablespoons rose water
- 1¾ cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, to top the muffins
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Line a muffin tin with liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together until fully combined.
- Add in Greek yogurt, vegetable oil, cardamom, and rose water. Mix well.
- In another bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, and baking powder together.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the egg-wet ingredients. Whisk well.
- Add in the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop, fill the muffin liners. Top with sesame seeds.
- Bake in the oven for 8 minutes at 400℉. Then reduce the heat to 350℉ and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean.
- Once baked, take the muffins out of the oven, let cool for 15 minutes and serve with your favorite beverage!
Video
Notes
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure eggs, yogurt, and other ingredients are at room temperature for a smooth batter and even baking.
- Use Rosewater Sparingly: Make sure you don’t use too much rosewater because it can overpower all the other flavors.
- Proper Mixing: Whisk the wet and dry ingredients separately before combining to avoid overmixing and ensure a tender texture.
- Preheat the Oven: Start with a properly preheated oven to get the ideal initial rise and golden crust on the muffins.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these cupcakes used 2 TBS corn starch only . Very good recipe Thank you for sharing
The 15 minute cooling timer went off and I raced to the kitchen to try a muffin. They were easy to prep and baked up perfectly. They remind me of a cake my great grandmother used to make just without the rosewater. These are delicious. I’m trying not to eat the whole batch. hee hee hee. (I’ll be delivering some to my neighbors soon)
These look amazing, Shadi! How would you modify the temperature and cook time to make mini muffins? I was thinking minis would be delightful for parties.
Keep the temperature as is and bake for 10 to 12 minutes 🙂
Can I use gluten free flours in this recipe?
Yes, it’s best to use 1:1 gf flour 🙂
So excited to try this recipe! Any thoughts on how to make it dairy free? What would be a good substitution for the greek yogurt?
You can use any dairy free yogurt as long as it’s not flavored 🙂
What is the purpose of the cornstarch? Would rice flour work instead? Or could this be eliminated altogether? Thanks!
The cornstarch mixed with flour would make the muffins softer and fluffier. However, you can leave it out if desired 🙂
Perhaps ARROWROOT POWDER can be substituted for the cornstarch.
It could!
Delicious! I followed the recipe exactly and they came out of the oven looking just like yours. The cardamom is just a bit subtle for my taste, so when I make them again I’ll decrease the rose water just a bit and increase the cardamom just a bit, to adjust to my personal preference. Thank you for a lovely recipe!
Loved the texture of the muffins/cakes. So fluffy on the inside and crisp on the top. My Persian roommate gave it the thumbs up. Will be making again!
Happy to know you guys loved it! It’s such a good one!
I did this and they were so amazing and tasty! it came out perfect!
Hi and Salaam!
I made these muffins today. They taste Ahmazing! The insides are unbelievably soft and flavourful, however the top didn’t rise significantly nor crack like those in your pictures ☹️. Any ideas of what I may have done wrong?
Hi! There could be a few reasons if your muffins didn’t rise. One could be that the baking powder you used was expired. Another could be that you didn’t fill the muffin liners enough, I suggest you feel them 2/3 to 3/4 full. And lastly, it could be that you mixed the ingredients too much. Hope this helps and hope you give them another try!
I filled them to the brim but I did mix it bit too much🙃. I’ll try it once again soon In Sha Allah.