Almond-rosewater and walnut-cardamom zebra cake

My luscious cake was inspired by the flavours of my mum’s Nowruz (Persian New Year) baked goods. The whole house filled with the aroma of rosewater and the cardamom seeds that she ground to flavour her bāghlavā (Persian almond baklavas) and other sweets. She made walnut cookies, tiny mulberry-shaped marzipans (tūt), saffron-almond lozenges (lōz) and lots more. I made my cake gluten-free so more people can enjoy it. The trick is to use a bit of rice flour to give body to the batter. The recipe makes a very large cake good for a party.

Maryam Sin’s almond-rosewater and walnut-cardamom zebra cake is inspired by the festive tastes of Persian new year. Photograph: Maryam Sin/Maryam Sin/GuardianWitness

For the almond-rosewater batter
200g ground almonds
30g rice flour
A large pinch of salt
¼ tsp baking powder
4 large eggs, separated
225g caster sugar
250ml olive oil
4 tbsp rosewater
A few drops of almond essence (optional)

For the walnut-cardamom batter
200g ground walnuts
½ tsp ground cardamom seeds
20g rice flour
¼ tsp baking powder
A large pinch of salt
4 large eggs, separated
225g caster sugar
250ml olive oil
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To serve
Icing sugar, to decorate
30g flaked almonds
1 tbsp caster sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line a 30cm springform cake tin with baking paper and very lightly oil the sides.

2 To make the almond batter, mix the ground almonds with the rice flour, salt and baking powder, then beat the egg whites in a separate, grease-free dry bowl until stiff peaks form.

3 Beat the sugar with the olive oil in another bowl for two minutes. Add the yolks one by one, beating well after each addition (about a minute). Beat in the rosewater and almond essence (if using), then add the almond mixture by spoonfuls and beat after each addition to mix well. Add ⅓ of the batter to the whipped egg whites and gently fold to mix. Repeat until all the batter is mixed with the whites. Set aside.

4 To make the walnut batter, mix the ground walnuts, cardamom, rice flour, baking powder and salt, then mix the rest of the ingredients in the same ways as you did for the almond batter.

5 To make the zebra pattern in the cake tin, pour one cupful of the almond batter in the tin. Wait until it spreads a little. Pour a cupful of the walnut batter in the center of the almond batter and wait for a few seconds so it spreads a little, too. Continue alternating walnut and almond batters until all batter is used up, then bake the cake for 50 minutes in the centre of the oven or until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides and remove the ring from the bottom of the tin. Invert the cake on a cooling rack and carefully remove the baking paper. Let the cake cool completely before transferring to a plate.

6 To decorate, put a paper doily on top of the cake and liberally sprinkle with icing sugar, then carefully lift off the doily. Put the flaked almonds in a small heavy frying pan, add the sugar and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring all the time, until the sugar melts and the almond flakes are golden. Put mounds of the mix in the middle and around the edge of the cake. Enjoy with a cup of strong tea or coffee.