Ahmad Alzamel Cake Recipe: The Secret Everyone Wants

Let me take you back to a dusty afternoon in Amman. I was lost in the maze of the Al-Balad market, sweating through my shirt, when the smell of orange blossom and freshly baked cake stopped me in my tracks. Behind a stall piled with pistachios and dates, an older man with flour-dusted hands, Ahmad Alzamel was pulling golden cakes from a rickety oven. “Try,” he said, handing me a slice still warm from the pan. One bite, and I swear I heard angels (or maybe just his grandmother’s ghost) singing. After days of pestering him (and taste-testing 14 batches of qahwa), he finally sighed, “Fine, but you’ll make it better.” Challenge accepted. Here’s my spin on his century-old recipe, with a few sneaky healthy twists even his carb-loving grandkids would devour.

What Is This Cake, Really?

Imagine if a classic pound cake and a Mediterranean citrus grove had a baby. This cake is alive, moist from olive oil, tangy from yogurt, perfumed with orange zest and cardamom, and topped with salty-sweet pistachios. It’s not cloyingly sweet, so you can eat it for breakfast (I won’t judge). The best part? It’s forgiving. Forget fancy techniques. This is the kind of recipe you can make in pajamas while yelling at your cat.

Nutrition: Because You Can’t Live on Salad Alone

(Per slice, serves 12)

• Calories: 240 (Less than a fancy coffee drink!)
• Protein: 4g (Greek yogurt for the win)
• Sugar: 16g (Swap in date syrup to cut it down)
• Fat: 12g (The good kind from olive oil, your heart will thank you)

Fun Fact: The cardamom in this cake? It’s been used for centuries in the Middle East to soothe tummy aches. So technically, this is medicine. You’re welcome.

Kitchen Science Made Simple (No Lab Coat Required)

1. Olive Oil Magic: Makes the cake stay moist for days. Unlike butter, which hardens in the fridge, olive oil stays liquid, like a tiny spa treatment for your crumbs.
2. Yogurt’s Secret Power: Its acidity gives the baking powder a boost, like a caffeine shot for your batter.
3. Zest vs. Juice: Zest packs 10x more flavor. Lick your zester after, I dare you.
4. Let It Rest!: Batters are like people, they need a nap. Letting it sit = no weird dense spots.

Also read: Bake Like Royalty: Meghan Markle’s Lemon Cake Recipe (Simple & Zesty!)

Ahmad alzamel cake recipe

5 Star from 3 votes

A fluffy, citrusy cake with Middle Eastern soul. Vegan swaps included! Perfect for impressing your mother-in-law or eating straight from the pan at 2 a.m.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Resting Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins

Servings: 12

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Snack

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Calories: 240

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1¾ cups flour whole wheat, gluten-free, whatever, Ahmad won’t haunt you
• 3 eggs or flax eggs: 3 tbsp ground flax + ½ cup water. Stir and let sit like a chia pet
• ⅔ cup sugar or honey, maple syrup, or a mashed banana for chaos bakers
• ½ cup olive oil the kind you’d drizzle on bread, not the cheap pizza-shop stuff
• ⅔ cup yogurt Greek, coconut, or that forgotten tub in your fridge’s abyss
• Zest of 2 oranges pro tip: wash them first unless you like wax frosting
• 2 tsp orange blossom water optional, but makes you feel like a fancy pastry chef
• 1 tsp cardamom the spice drawer hero you forgot existed
• A fistful of pistachios for crunch and Instagram clout

Equipment

• One 9-inch cake pan (or a pie dish in a pinch—we’re rebels here)
• A whisk (or a fork if you’re feeling lazy)
• A lemon zester (or the fine side of a cheese grater—just watch your knuckles)
• Your hands (for crushing pistachios dramatically)

Method

 

1. Heat the Oven: 325°F. If your oven’s moody like mine, toss in an oven thermometer.
2. Make Flax Eggs (If Vegan): Mix flax and water. Stare at it suspiciously for 10 minutes until it’s gooey.
3. Mix Dry Stuff: Flour, baking powder, cardamom, salt. Whisk. Pretend you’re a wizard.
4. Mix Wet Stuff: Eggs (or flax gloop), sugar, oil, yogurt, zest, and blossom water. Whisk until your arm complains.
5. Marry Wet + Dry: Dump dry into wet. Fold gently, no overmixing, or the cake gods will frown.
6. Let Batter Nap: 15 minutes. Use this time to call your mom or doomscroll TikTok.
7. Bake: Pour into greased pan. Smash pistachios over the top. Bake 45-50 minutes. If it browns too fast, throw foil on top like a cake blanket.
8. Cool: Wait 20 minutes. Resist cutting into it, or you’ll get crumbly chaos.

Nutrition

Calories: 240kcalCalcium: 2mg

Notes

Notes from My Kitchen Disasters:
No Cardamom? Use cinnamon. Ahmad might side-eye you, but it’ll still taste like heaven.

Burnt the Top? Scrape it off and say you meant to make a “deconstructed” cake.

Too Dry? Drizzle with honey and blame the altitude.

Kids Hate Nuts? Swap pistachios for rainbow sprinkles. Instant party.

Want Extra Drama? Serve with rose petal ice cream and a story about your “culinary journey.”

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!