Sri Lankan love cake

2012%2008%20Gbc%20Alfredprasad%20Lovecak_960x540_2250.jpg (1)
Not yet rated

A legacy from the Portuguese rule in Sri Lanka, Alfred Prasad's love cake recipe features a supreme combination of citrus peel and cherries, nuts and spices. This is a fantastic cake that pairs wonderfully with a warm cup of tea, making a cosy treat for any afternoon. The cake tin suggested is the best size for the cake, but you can use any high-sided tin for good results. Garnish with some jelly babies if you are feeling playful.

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Love cake recipe

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 150˚C/gas mark 2 and line a 20 x 30cm (10 x 12 inches) cake tin with baking paper
2
Dice the butter and leave in a warm place to soften. Once soft, cream the sugar and butter in a bowl using a wooden spoon, until light and fluffy
3
Add in the eggs, one at a time and beat well. Add the honey, rose water, orange and lemon zest, nutmeg, cardamom and cinnamon. Use a spatula to gently fold through
4
Next fold through the cashew nuts, semolina, glacé cherries, mixed peel and crystalized ginger until combined. (If you are not using cashew nuts, replace with 200g extra semolina.) Do not over mix as this will ruin the final texture of the cake
5
Turn into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour or until a pale golden colour on top. The cake comes out best in a slow-cook process and should ideally feel chewy on top and moist in the middle
6
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 20 minutes. Turn out of the tin, dust with icing sugar and serve
  • icing sugar for dusting
First published in 2015

Alfred Prasad’s years at Tamarind saw the restaurant awarded one Michelin star, which it retained, and a stack of accolades (including numerous ‘Indian Restaurant Of The Year’ titles).

Get in touch

Please sign in or register to send a comment to Great British Chefs.