This wonderfully simple cake is a Sri Lankan delicacy made with love at birthdays or special occasions. A legacy from the Portuguese rule in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), this cake is a great combination of dried fruit, nuts and spices.
This recipe was created by Great British Chef Alfred Prasad for the Peace One Day school educational packs.
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 150˚C/300˚F and line a 25 x 30 cm (10 x 12 in) cake tin with baking paper.
Step 2
Dice 150g of unsalted butter and leave in a warm place to soften.
Step 3
Once soft, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Step 4
Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat well.
Step 5
Add honey, rose water, zest, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon. Use a spatula to gently fold through
Step 6
Next fold through the cashew nuts, semolina, glacé cherries, mixed peel and crystalized ginger until combined. Do not over mix.
Step 7
Turn into prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until pale golden on top. The cake comes out best in a slow-cook process and should ideally feel chewy on top and moist in the middle.
Step 8
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes.
Step 9
Turn out of the tin, and when completely cool dust with icing sugar.
Ingredients
- 150g unsalted butter
- 350g caster sugar
- 6 eggs
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp rose water
- 1 orange, the zest of
- 1 lemon, the zest of
- 1 tsp nutmeg, grated
- 1 tsp cardamom, ground
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 200g unsalted cashew nuts, coarsley chopped
- 250g semolina
- 50g glace cherries
- 25g mixed peel
- 25g crystalised stem ginger
- 1 dusting icing sugar