This Sri Lankan Love Cake recipe is a deliciously aromatic, richly spiced semolina cake made with cashews, rose water, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, citrus zest, and fruit preserves. This easy adaptation of traditional Sri Lankan Love Cake is eggless and plant-based when made with vegan butter. Enjoy a slice for a weeknight dessert or a celebration treat.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup semolina
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (add 1/4 tsp salt if this butter is unsalted) at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp rose water
- 2/3 cup applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey honey can be used if you are not looking for a plant-based recipe
- 2 tbsp apricot jam at room temperature
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/2 cup cashews
- 1/2 tsp lime zest zest of 1 whole lime
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest zest of 1 whole lemon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F ( 150 C)
- Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray, then line it with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Cream the vegan butter and sugar for about 2 minutes using a handheld electric mixer.
- Add in the rose water and applesauce and mix well.
- Then add in the apricot jam, maple syrup/honey, vanilla, and almond extracts and mix well.
- Add in the ground cashews and mix well with the mixer.
- Add in the cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, lime and lemon zest,
- Also, add in the semolina and baking powder and, mix well using a spatula,
- Spoon into a loaf pan and bake at 300 degrees for an hour and 10 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to test if it is done. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready to set aside to cool. If it comes out with wet batter, then place it back in the oven for another 10 minutes as all ovens are different.
- When the cake is done, cool it to room temperature and serve it as is or serve it dusted with a bit of powdered sugar.
Notes
Use room-temperature vegan butter. This makes it easier to cream the butter and sugar together.
Don't skip the rose water. It's one of the ingredients that gives Love Cake its distinctive aroma.
Use freshly ground or finely ground cashews. Cashews contribute both flavor and texture to the cake.
Let the cake cool completely. The texture becomes easier to slice once the cake has cooled.
Check the cake with a toothpick. Baking times can vary between ovens, so use the toothpick test rather than relying solely on the stated baking time.
Don't expect a fluffy cake. Love Cake is traditionally dense and slightly coarse. That's part of its charm.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg
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