This cake is a Sri Lankan adaptation of a Portuguese recipe - according to legend, women would add secret ingredients (such as rose, vanilla, cinnamon and cardamon) to their cakes and feed them to the objects of their desire, who would then fall deeply in love with them. All of the spices in this cake were regarded as powerful aphrodisiacs, including rose which is known as the ‘queen of love’!

LOVE CAKE SPICES (1 portion = 2 tbsp): cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander, green cardamon, rose

May contain CELERY, MUSTARD and SESAME. Allergens are listed in CAPITALS

Sri Lankan Love Cake Recipe:

You Need: 

125g butter
3 eggs (any size)
3 tbsp honey
120g unsalted cashew nuts - crushed or ground to a coarse texture
150g soft light brown sugar
125g polenta or semolina
50g self-raising flour
Whipped cream or creme fraiche to serve

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
Grease and line a 20cm cake tin with baking parchment
Melt the butter with 1 tbsp honey
Whisk the eggs with 100g sugar for 2 minutes or until fully combined and increased slightly in volume
Whisk the melted butter and honey into the egg mixture
Stir in the polenta, 100g cashew nuts, flour, a pinch of salt and all but a pinch of the LOVE CAKE SPICES and mix until fully combined
Pour the batter into the lined tin and bake for 25 minutes or until risen, golden on top and a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp honey with the remaining 50g sugar, 150ml water and the reserved pinch of LOVE CAKE SPICES for 5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse
When the cake is cooked (and still hot), poke a few holes into the top of the cake using a fork and pour the syrup over the top of the cake making sure the entire surface is covered
Sprinkle the remaining cashew nuts on top then cut into thin slices to serve, with whipped cream or creme fraiche on the side

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