0 from 6 votes
Love cake
The love cake is a traditional Sri Lankan cake made from cashews, semolina and candied winter melon called puhul dosi. It is perfumed with rose, cinnamon, cardamom with lime and nutmeg.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings: 12 people
Course:
Dessert
Cuisine:
Asian , Sri Lankan
Ingredients
- 1½ cup fine semolina
- 6 large eggs
- 1¼ cup caster sugar
- 4 tablespoons liquid honey
- 1 cup butter
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons rose water
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 8 oz. cashews , coarsely ground
- 3 oz. puhul dosi (candied winter melon), diced
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
Equipment
- Baking dish
- Stand mixer
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C) and line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking dish with parchment paper.
- In a dry pan, roast the fine semolina without stirring it and without coloring it.
- When the semolina is still hot, add the butter and mix well until the butter melts and mixes well with the semolina. Set aside.
- Separate the eggs.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture whitens and doubles in volume.
- Add the lime zest, honey, spices, rose water, almond extract and mix well.
- Add coarsely ground cashews and puhul dosi and mix well.
- Add the mixture of semolina and butter and incorporate with the spatula, without beating.
- In another bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff.
- Add the egg whites gently to the previous preparation and combine everything without beating.
- Pour the mixture into the mold and gently tap it on the work surface two or three times to expel any air bubbles.
- Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting square shaped portions and serve.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- Do not poke the love cake with a knife to test if the cake is fully baked. The love cake must have a moist and melting inside.