The Love Cake

The Love Cake is a very traditional Sri Lankan cake.  The above image makes it look more like a butter cake.  But I copied it from google images as it looks much better than how it actually looks.  Not sure why you would have an Orchid on the plate, not very Sri Lankan is it now, maybe a Fangipani, but an Orchid seems like an odd choice.  Anyway the cake itself is wrong.  The cake is usually not this high.  No one dusts icing sugar on the top either.  Well now you understand why it never appeared on Master Chef.  It may look very ordinary but the taste is just divine.

Well the above is what it actually looks like. Now you understand why I went with the first picture.

Now that we have dealt with the picture/image, let’s analyse the name.  Well … Chiffon cake does not mean that it was made out of the material chiffon.  Same here, for what ever reason it got the name Love cake and the name has stuck.  It is however a regular participant at Engagement parties or any other time we feel festive.

Some of my friends and relatives have been asking me for the recipe and I finally wrote it down.  And I thought why don’t I share this with the rest of the world (or at lest the blogging world).

Ingredients

6 –                    Eggs (I prefer to separate them)

500gm –           Caster Sugar (feel free to use less)

150gm –           Unsalted butter

3 tbl spoon –    Honey

2 tbl spoon –    Rose water (I prefer to use a bit more)

Finely chopped zest of a lime or lemon (I prefer lemon, lime could be a bit too strong at times)

1tsp      –           nutmeg grated (powder would do the job too; maybe use a bit more than a tsp)

1tsp      –           Cardamom (again you can throw the teaspoon away and use something bigger)

1tsp      –           Cinnamon (well let’s say I don’t believe in teaspoons)

250gm –           raw cashews chopped (I use a food processor, not powder level, but more than chopped)

250gm –           Coarse semolina

125gm –           Crystallised pineapple chopped

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 150c.  Line a cake tin. (This is a combination of two recipes, so I can’t really say what size cake tin to use, but I have even used muffin trays)

Beat the butter and sugar with an electric beater until pale and creamy.  Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Fold in Cashew, Semolina, Honey, rosewater, cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Beat the egg whites until firm peaks form.  Then fold this into the above mixture.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin/tins.  Bake for 1 hour and 10 min or until firm to touch.  No idea what that last sentence meant as I just copied off the recipe.  Baking time will depend on the depth of your cake tin, quantity etc.  This is not a cake that will get upset if you open the oven door while cooking. So best is to start low eg 45 min and when  it stops to wobble, it’s time to use a skewer. You want it slightly wet.  Else its overcooked and dry.  Once you take it out of the oven, leave in the tin for a few hours.  Even over night is okay.  Don’t be in a hurry to take it out of the tin. As the cake is going to be a big gooey, it is better to leave it to set.

Cup of tea goes really well with a slice of this cake.  My fellow blogger finishes her recipes by saying “and remember, this cake is always better if you share it”.

https://rabbitpatchdiary.com 

So yes, go ahead and invite a friend or two to share the cake and an afternoon.

Disclaimer:  Please note the above recipe is not endorsed by the Diabetic Society, cholesterol Police or any other Eat proper group.

Side Effects:    Very addictive and not so kind to the waist line.