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A traditional Sri Lankan wedding cake recipe is adapted here as a Love Cake for Valentine’s cake. The recipe is based around fine semolina, cornmeal or polenta. I used South African mealie meal (white maize meal) for my gluten free version, but use what you have available/to hand. This cake will keep for up to 6 days in an air-tight cake tin, or can be frozen in slices.
Prep time 45 minutes/Cook time 30 minutes/Yields 16-18 finger slices
Ingredients:
150g (1 ¼ cups) semolina, cornmeal or polenta
200g (7 oz) unsalted cashew nuts
6 large eggs
250g (1 ¼ cups) soft unsalted butter
150g (3/4 cup) golden caster sugar
5 tbsp clear honey
the ground seeds from 20 cardamom pods
½ tbsp ground cinnamon
Finely-grated grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Finely-grated zest of 1 orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp concentrated rose extract (we used Nielsen Massey)
75g (3 oz) chopped mixed peel or chopped dried apricots
icing sugar, to dust
heart confetti sugar sprinkles or edible flowers to decorate, optional
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 160°C (140°C fan/320°F/gas mark 3). Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm (4 x 6 in) cake tin.
Place the cashew nuts in a food processor and grind finely (working in batches you can also do this in a coffee or spice grinder).
Separate 4 of the eggs; putting the whites in a dry medium mixing bowl and setting aside. Lightly beat the yolks with the remaining 2 whole eggs, ideally in a jug. Get all of the remaining ingredients measured out and ready before you start making the batter itself.
Combine the butter, caster sugar, honey and a generous pinch of sea salt in a large mixing bowl, then beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy. Gradually trickle in the egg yolk mixture, beating constantly. Now mix in the spices, citrus zests and lime juice, vanilla, rose extract and mixed peel or apricots.
Stir in the ground cashews and the cooled toasted semolina, cornmeal or polenta.
Using cleaned beaters, whisk the reserved egg whites until they have floppy peaks – don’t let them get too stiff or they will be hard to fold in. Stir a large spoonful through the batter to loosen it then carefully fold in the remainder.
Pour the batter into your prepared tin, scraping in the remainder with a spatula, then shake the tin gently until level. Transfer to your pre-heated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until the cake is well risen, firm and shrinking away from the sides of the tin.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To decorate, dust with icing sugar (you can also use card to cut out names and use as stencils). Scatter with the sugar sprinkles and edible flowers, if using.
Cut into fingers and serve.
