Classic Sri Lankan Love Cake (Semolina Cake)

Classic Sri Lankan Love Cake (Semolina Cake) Baked with Love! It is called ‘Love Cake’ but not a heart-shaped cake or cake made for Valentine’s Day. As the name suggests, it’s a lovely cake baked with LOVE.

Sri Lankan Love Cake (Semolina Cake)
Baked with Love!

Sri Lankan Love Cake is a traditional cake with a special touch of Sri Lankan taste and aroma.

It is an amazingly fragrant, rich, nutty, slightly spiced cake made from semolina as the main ingredient. It has a crumbly moist center and a crunchy exterior.

It is served for special occasions and celebrations like birthdays, weddings, Christmas, or New Year’s Day. It is usually served with powdered sugar and a hot tea or coffee.

I’ll show you how to make ‘Love Cake’ easily at home from scratch. Here you’ll find an easy-to-follow recipe with step-by-step pictures, helpful info plus top tips. I hope you will try the recipe and enjoy it as much as I do!!

What is Love Cake?

I googled and here are some fascinating facts that I found.

Legend has it that a cake known as “bolo di amor” was brought by the Portuguese. They occupied some parts of Sri Lankan coastal area in the 1500s. Bolo di amor translates to ‘cake of love’. Eventually, the locals created their version of the cake with locally available ingredients like cashew nuts, spices, and essences. They named it ‘Love Cake’.

Similar Types of Cakes Around the World

Interestingly, you will find many more semolina cakes around the world. These cakes are more or less akin to Sri Lankan Love Cake.

1. Persian Love Cake; Iranians have their own version of love cake.
2. Sugge (Suji) Cake; The Eurasian community in India and other countries commonly eats it.
3. Basbousa; It is a sweet, syrup-soaked semolina cake. It is found in the cuisines of the Middle East and North Africa and is known under various names.

How Do You Make Love Cake?

Traditional dishes are passed down from generation to generation, and family recipes are cherished and kept secret. So, the recipe for love cake can vary according to family traditions and individual preferences.

The main ingredients include coarse semolina, plain flour, eggs, butter, and sugar. Semolina is the key ingredient that makes the difference as it adds a nice crumbly texture to this cake.

When making the cake batter, some use whole eggs, and others use separated eggs. Most recipes call for a large number of egg yolks to create a rich moist texture.

Cashew nuts play an important role and are used generously. The addition of ground and chopped cashews further enriches and adds delicious nuttiness. It is also decorated with cashews.

Using candied winter melon, locally known as “puhul dosi” or pumpkin preserve, is very common. Some also include candied peels and candied ginger. It is spiced with local spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. It is flavored with rose water, vanilla, and brandy. Using lime or lemon zest is also very common.

All these ingredients together create a fragrant, sweet, lightly spiced cake with a rich moist crumbly cake. It lasts for a few days at room temperature when stored properly and gets better with age.

About this Recipe

Like any traditional food, there are countless recipes for Love Cake. I have tried a few different versions to create my own version of it. There are a few tips and tricks you’ll want to follow to make it with perfect taste and texture.

You will find love cake recipes that use either the egg separation method or the whole egg method. This recipe uses the egg separation method to produce an airy moist cake.

This recipe also uses more egg yolks than egg whites – it does work that way. I used 6 egg yolks and 3 egg whites. You can add 2 to 4 more egg yolks for a more rich cake!

I used cashew nuts generously. Ground nuts to achieve a nutty-rich taste, chopped nuts for extra crunchiness and halved nuts for decoration.

INGREDIENTS

• Semolina: Use coarse semolina.
• Flour: Use all-purpose flour (plain flour).
• Butter: Use unsalted butter or margarine. Half butter and half margarine give good results.
• Sugar: Granulated white sugar and/or light brown sugar.
• Eggs: You will need more egg yolks than whites.
• Baking Powder: Use fresh baking powder
• Baking Soda: Use fresh baking soda
• Salt: A pinch of salt brings out the other flavors in the cake.
• Fruit Preserves: I used candied winter melon (puhul dosi), candied ginger (Inguru Dosi) and candied lemon peel.
• Nuts: Traditionally cashew nuts are used. You can also use almonds.
• Spices: Ground spices enhance the flavor and taste. I used a mix of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
• Flavoring: Vanilla and Rose Water are commonly used but optional.
• Orange or lemon zest: You can also add fresh orange or lemon zest. 
• Brandy: I used a tablespoon of brandy. You can also use orange liqueur. Using liqueur is optional.
• Honey: I like drizzling my cake with honey flavored with brandy.

Puhul Dosi (Sri Lankan Candied Winter Melon)

Puhul Dosi (Candied Winter Melon) is a Sri Lankan sweet confection made from winter melon (or ash gourd). It is also called pumpkin preserves. It is an essential ingredient in making Sri Lankan cakes. These include Xmas cakes, Wedding cakes, Love cakes, and Coconut cakes (Bibikkam).

Inguru Dosi (Sri Lankan Ginger Candy)

Inguru Dosi or ginger candy is a popular roadside sweet in Sri Lanka. It is a very simple sweet made with only 3 ingredients; sugar, water, and fresh ginger. 100% natural, gluten-free, and vegan.

Useful Tips and Info

• Use softened unsalted butter at room temperature as it creams easily. Room-temperature butter is soft. When you press into it, your finger leaves a dent. Make sure not to use too soft butter which is greasy or oily.
• Separate the eggs when it is still cold. Keep the egg whites in the fridge until used. Use room-temperature egg yolks as they incorporate into the batter easily.
• DO NOT use too much ground spices, especially nutmeg, clove, and cardamom.
• I used an 18 X 18 cm square pan. You can also use a 20 cm round pan. Line the pan with two layers of parchment paper. This will protect the cake from becoming over-brown and burnt as it bakes.
• Make sure to preheat the oven before placing your cake in the oven.
• You need to bake this cake slowly for about 60 minutes at different temperatures. This prevents over-baking on the edges while the center gets done.
• Oven temperature and baking time depend on your oven. They also depend on the type of pan you’re using. You will need to adjust them suitably.
• Be careful not to over-bake the cake. Test the cake with a toothpick in the center of the cake. If it is clean, then your cake is done.
• If it seems to be browning too quickly, top it with a few layers of foil. Do this towards the end.

Tips for Storing

A slice of this cake is pretty good the same day it’s baked. Still, this cake just continues to get better and better as it ages. Best served at room temperature, the next day. Here’s how to store this cake for the best results.

At Room Temperature: Cool completely before storing. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for about 2 to 3 days. If you drizzle it with honey and brandy generously, it will keep longer at room temperature.

In the Refrigerator: You can store it in the refrigerator for a week or so in an airtight container. Allow coming to room temperature before serving. The cake will get hard while you keep it in the fridge because of the butter in it.

In the Freezer: You can freeze the whole cake or individual slices for about 3 months. Wrap the whole cake (or individual slices separately) with plastic wrap and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Bring the cake to room temperature before serving. Do not thaw frozen cake in the microwave or oven as it will dry out and the taste will change.

More Sri Lankan Recipes to Try

How to Make Sri Lankan Love Cake (Semolina Cake) Step-by-Step Guide

(Check out the printable recipe card at the end of the post)

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Sri Lankan
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Resting Time: 2 hours
Yield: 18 x 18cm square cake

Equipment

18 X 18 cm square cake pan or 20 cm round pan

Ingredients

150 g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
200 g granulated sugar, divided
170 g coarse semolina, slightly dry-roasted
100 ml milk, at room temperature
60 g plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon clove
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 egg yolks (L), at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 g cashew nuts, finely ground
50 g cashew nuts, roughly chopped
50 g candied orange or lemon peel
50 g puhul dosi or candied winter melon, chopped (see the notes)
10 g inguru dosi or candied ginger, chopped (see the notes)
3 (L) egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
Raw or roasted cashews, for decoration
50g honey for drizzling, optional
1 tablespoon brandy, optional
Icing sugar for dusting, optional

• Make sure not to use too much ground spices, especially clove, nutmeg, and cardamom.
• Use lemon or orange zest instead of candied peels
• I used 6 egg yolks and 3 egg whites. For more rich cake, you can use 2 to 5 more egg yolks.
• You can use some more fruit preserves if you like.

Instruction

• Place the cashews (50g) in a food processor and blitz until finely ground. Place another 50 g of cashews and blitz until roughly chopped.
• Dice the butter and leave to soften at room temperature.
• Dry roast the semolina over low-medium heat in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Continue roasting until it is nutty and aromatic. Be careful not to brown it. Set aside to cool.

Gather the next ingredients; roasted semolina, sugar, softened butter, and milk.

Place the softened butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat it with a wooden spoon until it becomes easy to handle. Next, beat with a hand mixer on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar (100g) in 4 additions. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add the semolina, alternately with milk. That means; 1/3 of the semolina, 1/2 of the milk. Then add another 1/3 of the semolina and 1/2 of the milk. Finally, add the rest of the semolina. Fold/mix in with a silicone spatula until each addition is fully incorporated before adding the next. DO NOT over-mix.

Cover and leave it to rest for around 2 hours.

After 2 hours, preheat oven to 180°C. Prepare your pan. I used an 18 X 18 cm square pan. You can also use a 20 cm round pan. Grease and line it with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices (3 times).

Separate egg yolks and whites. Make sure you use a clean bowl to place the whites. There should be no traces of yolk in the egg whites. It will ruin the meringue.

Beat the egg yolks with sugar (50g) until pale and thick. Then, stir in rose water, and/or vanilla if using.

To make the final batter;

• first, gently mix half of the yolk mixture with the semolina mixture.
• Next, carefully fold half of the flour and the ground nuts.

• Gently mix half of the yolk mixture.
• Carefully fold the rest of the flour.
• Gently mix in the candied winter melon, candied peels, crystallized ginger and chopped nuts until just combined.

Do not over-mix the batter as this will ruin the final texture of the cake. Set aside.

Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt on medium-low speed until foamy. Add in sugar (50g) in 3 additions. Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks (nearly) form.

Gently fold whipped egg whites into the prepared batter in 2-3 batches until evenly mixed.

Pour it into the prepared pan and level the top evenly. Decorate with cashews.

• Reduce the oven temperature to 170C and bake for 30 minutes.
• Again reduce to 160C and bake for about 30 minutes or until pale gold on top.
• Remove the cake from the oven.
• Mix the brandy and honey and drizzle over the cake. (optional)
• Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.

Remove the cake from the pan and leave it on a wire rack until cool. Wrap and store in a cool place until serve.

If using, dust with icing sugar. Cut and serve. A piece of Love Cake goes well with a hot cup of Sri Lankan (Ceylon) black tea.

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