Sri Lankan Love Cake
This light Sri Lankan Love cake recipe features a heady mix of cardamom, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, rosewater and cashews. Semolina grains softened in butter, and chopped cashews add a little texture. All these ingredients create a fluffy, rich, squidgy cake packed with exotic flavour.
This light Sri Lankan Love cake recipe features a heady mix of cardamom, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, rosewater and cashews. Semolina grains softened in butter, and chopped cashews add a little texture. All these ingredients create a fluffy, rich, squidgy cake packed with exotic flavour. Your kitchen will fill with intoxicating scents from your oven, with hints of Turkish delight, warm cinnamon, and meringue. When your cute neighbours arrive on your doorstep asking what you’re cooking, you can bat your eyelashes and say “Love Cake”.
SRI LANKAN LOVE CAKE
Makes: a 21cm square cake, serves at least 12
Difficulty: Easy
EQUIPMENT:
21cm Square cake tin (8 in)
Large baking tray
Electric mixer/stand mixer
INGREDIENTS:
250g Semolina
125g Unsalted Butter, softened room temperature
10 Eggs, with yolks and whites separated
500g Caster Sugar
185g Cashew Nuts, chopped finely
2 tablespoons Rosewater
2 tablespoons Honey
1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Lemon Rind, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon ground Cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
Icing Sugar to dust
METHOD:
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (130 fan-forced; 300F). Set the kitchen timer for 50 minutes. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper and grease the sides with non-stick spray.
Spread the semolina over the baking tray and heat in the oven for 5 minutes.
Transfer the semolina to a medium bowl and stir in the soft butter.
In the bowl of an electric mixer add the egg yolks and caster sugar. Use the whisk attachment on medium speed to whisk together until light and creamy. Gently pour in the semolina mix. Use the paddle attachment to beat it all together. Stir in the cashew nuts, rosewater, honey, nutmeg, lemon rind, cardamom and cinnamon. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
Add the egg whites to the clean and dry bowl of an electric mixer. Use the whisk attachment on low speed to beat them together until they form soft peaks. Gradually build up the speed to medium while whisking the eggs.
Use a spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
Check the oven has reached the correct temperature. Place the cake on the middle rack of the oven. The cake is ready when the top becomes golden brown and the middle of the cake isn’t jiggly. A skewer test won’t work with the cake as it’s too sticky. If the cake isn’t done after 50 minutes, add another 5 to the timer and check again until the cake is ready.
Remove cake from the oven. Allow it to cool fully in the tin. Do not attempt to flip it out onto a wire rack. When cooled cut squares of cake from the tin and dust the tops with a little icing sugar.
BAKING TIPS:
- Cake will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
| Prep Time | 30 mins |
| Cook Time | 50 mins |
| Passive Time | 45 mins |
| Servings |
pieces
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- 250 g Semolina
- 125 g Unsalted Butter softened to room temperature
- 10 Eggs separate yolks and whites
- 500 g Caster Sugar
- 185 g Cashew Nuts finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Rosewater
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon Lemon Zest finely grated
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
- Icing Sugar to dust on top
Ingredients
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Rate this recipe!
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- Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius (130 fan-forced; 300F). Line the bottom of a 20cm (8in) square baking tin with baking paper and grease the sides with non-stick spray.
- Spread the semolina over a baking tray and heat in the oven for 5 minutes, then transfer the semolina to a medium bowl and stir in the soft butter.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer add the egg yolks and caster sugar. Use the whisk attachment on medium speed to whisk together until light and creamy. Gently pour in the semolina mix. Use the paddle attachment to beat it all together. Stir in the cashew nuts, rosewater, honey, nutmeg, lemon rind, cardamom and cinnamon. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- Add the egg whites to the clean and dry bowl of an electric mixer. Use the whisk attachment on low speed to beat them together until they form soft peaks. Gradually build up the speed to medium while whisking the eggs.
- Use a spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
- Check the oven has reached the correct temperature. Place the cake on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 50 minutes approximately. The cake is ready when the top becomes golden brown and the middle of the cake isn’t jiggly. A skewer test won’t work with the cake as it’s too sticky. If the cake isn’t done after 50 minutes, check again after 5 minutes.
- Remove cake from the oven. Allow it to cool fully in the tin. Do not attempt to flip it out onto a wire rack. When cooled cut squares of cake from the tin and dust the tops with a little icing sugar.
- Cake will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
You might like our other cake recipes, especially our Orange and Cardamom Cake, Rosewater Pistachio Cake with Rosewater Syrup, and Rosewater Pistachio Cupcakes.
I LOVE this Love Cake! The word “squidgy” always does it for me with cakes – a moist cake is a great cake.
All you need is love. And cake. Okay, and maybe a few others things but mainly love and cake.
Thank you so much for this recipe, I am definitely going to be making it for my Sri Lankan friend who is coming back to Perth soon! No doubt it won’t be as good as her Mum’s or Aunty’s or whatever but yours looks so good it’s worth a try.
This cake looks and sounds gorgeous! You made it sound so intoxicating!
No worries. Eep, hope it’s similar to their Mum’s version!
But i’ve seen so many variations across my Love Cake travels. Have even seen ones where they completely omit the egg white and just use the yolk, making a fudgey dense slice instead.
Good luck! I’m sure they’ll appreciate it :)
Love love cake because it’s made with 10 eggs. 10 means “perfect” in Chinese. Both the title and content are wonderful.
GASP! Ten eggs! This is one cake you have got to share with others. It reminds me of sugee cake, which uses 15 eggs and semolina flour too. I love the flavours that go into this Love Cake though .. I might want to try halving the recipe and make a smaller cake with erm, 5 eggs. :) Lovely texture!!
10 eggs? wow. I guess then it counts as a protein in the diet and not dessert :D ??? Nice contribution.
Love the name, the spices and well all of the ingredients sound and look so so good!
woah 10 eggs!
I love cake too though :P
10 is sure a lot of eggs, but definitely worth the splurge for this heavenly looking cake :)
I love the name =) It sounds so so good! Funny how I have a huge group of Sri Lankan friends and I’ve never heard of it…I’ll have to get them to make me one some day =D Or I could always try this recipe…..
What a lovely cake! In both concept, look and taste (I imagine – looking at this ingredients list!). I hope to try this soon, thank you :)
Heidi xo
sweet jeebus!
I am going to have to make this. the tamil in me started yelling when I saw the list of ingredients. :)
Awesome. Well, let me know how the cake making goes. If you’re really into the spices, I’d probably double the quantities that were listed in the original recipe. While it’s nice to have a subtle mix of flavours come through, I like a good whack of spices in a cake like this.
My mom is Tamale and my aunts always make love cake. It is delicious. If u haven’t tried u better.
In Sri Lanka Love Cake is legendary.
Very decadent for sure, but you have to admire the sheer panache of this cake. And
a dash of the world famous Ceylon Cinnamon.