Passport & Plate - 'Love Cake'
Sri Lanka | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 2 photos
Ingredients
250g semolina, lightly toasted
500g caster sugar
250g raw cashews nuts finely chopped
250g cooking butter
200g pumpkin preserve, finely chopped
8 eggs yokes
3 eggs whites
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon rosewater
1 teaspoon almond essence
¾ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon lemon rind
How to prepare this recipe1. Line the bottom of a 20cm square cake tin with a layer of newspaper and line bottom and sides with a layer of baking paper.
2. Roast semolina in a shallow pan over a medium fire.
3. When semolina is cool add butter and mix well. Leave to rest.
4. Separate egg yokes from egg whites.
5. Beat the eggs whites until the mixture holds firm peaks. The mixture is ready when the egg whites are fluffy enough not to fall out of the bowl when turned upside down.
6. In a separate bowl beat the eggs yokes and caster sugar on a medium setting until light and creamy. Slowly add in semolina-butter mixture.
7. Place the above mixture into a large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon fold in cashew nuts, beaten eggs whites and pumpkin preserve.
8. Fold into mixture: vanilla essence, rosewater, almond essence, nutmeg and lemon rind.
9. Turn into prepared tin and bake in a moderately slow oven (125 degrees for 1.5hrs-2hrs) until cake is evenly golden brown on top and feels firm to touch.
10. When cooked the centre of the cake should be somewhat moist.
11. Remove from oven and leave cake in the tin to cool for at least five hours before cutting.
The story behind this recipeChristmas; a time best spent with family and something sweet. My earliest recollection of the Christmas season involves my mum and nanna crammed into a shoebox kitchen preparing ‘Love’ cake. As mum would add a dash of this and a splash of that nan would interject: “you’re adding the semolina too quickly.” Immediately a small quarrel would break out not so much in angst rather in pursuit of perfection. The anticipation of Christmas was almost palpable when nan summoned my brother and I to lick the bowl that had been used to fold the cake mixture. As the mixture touched my tongue my eagerness to devour the end product grew. That same eagerness led my mum to hide the end product as it was “only meant for visitors.”
A master of her domain, my nan has developed her own iteration of ‘Love’ cake over more that 70 years. When she first learnt to make the cake in her hometown of Kandy in central Sri Lanka fresh eggs were bought from a door-to-door vendor, their freshness confirmed if they floated in a buck of water. Quantities of freshly made caramelised pumpkin, sugar and cashew nuts used in the cake were never recorded, rather added to the mixture from memory. While the manual beating of the mixture required a man’s scope of energy.
The story of ‘Love’ cake predates my nan’s lifetime as it was introduced to Sri Lanka, or Ceylon as it was then known, by Dutch colonists during their rule in the 17th and 18th centuries. Venerated by the Burghers of Sri Lanka, of whom I am a descendent, the cake is an infusion of the countries rich spices and traditionally made at Christmas and New Year. It is best enjoyed with a cup of Ceylon Tea with the combination instantly transporting you to the undulating plains of central Sri Lanka.
While no one really knows where the name ‘Love’ cake came from, for me it represents the love that is poured into the crafting and its ability to draw generations of a family together.
Why I should be chosen:
About Me
Growing up in a Sri Lankan household has instilled in me an insatiable desire to return to the land of my ancestors. I am eager to retrace their steps to appreciate how food and culture has shaped my life.
I am buoyed by the opportunity to explore the Dutch influence on Sri Lankan cuisine, given its links to my Burgher heritage.
I want to relay anecdotes from Sri Lanka to my 89-year old grandma, who in the twilight of her life is unlikely to ever return to her homeland.
I am passionate about enticing travellers to explore Sri Lanka given its economic reliance on tourism. It will be a blessing to give back in a small way to a country and culture that has profoundly shaped me as a person.
I want to witness Sri Lanka’s post war milieu, as it begins to breathe again after the tyranny of a 30-year civil war. I long to taste the country’s exotic fruit and taste mouth-watering curries and fresh spices — that lured merchants during the 18th and 19th centuries.
My understanding of Sri Lankan culture and cuisine, cultivated over my 24 years, places me ahead of the pack.
My natural curiosity will allow me to unearth hidden stories from street vendors and local cooks.
My past master of ceremony experience together with a strong command of written and spoken English — developed during my professional experience as a journalist — will allow me to engage my audience.
This scholarship would truly be a pivotal moment in my life and would set me on a journey of self-discovery.
