What do I think of when I think of Sri Lanka, little island in the Indian Ocean?
Beautiful white sandy beaches with swaying palm trees. Swinging in a hammock, being hypnotized by the sound of crashing waves.
Fish on your plate at dinner time. So fresh, you can still hear the whispered words of the fisherman I wonder how much I will get for this big one?
Wild majestic elephants being heard in the near by jungle as you sip your locally grown tea.
A selection of short eats (small entree sized finger food, Sri Lankan style tapas/yum cha to go- if you will) to choose from as you wonder around in search of the next ancient Buddhist temple to discover. Sri Lankan cuisine that is so full of flavours that your taste buds want to sing every time you eat.
Ancient rock fortress, Sigiriya. With so much history within its rocky walls, that you feel quite overwhelmed at the thought of how much this amazing rock had seen.
A kind of driving that can be only described as tiring. Honk when you are going to over take, honk when you are over taking, honk when you have over taken, honk when you would like to over take…and then begin again.
A country floored by the 2004 Tsunami.
Umbrella Lovers- if you wonder down to the beach, you will be sure to find some young couples sharing some ‘alone’ time, sitting under an umbrella. These umbrellas dot the surrounding areas, as couples shield themselves from prying eyes.
Buffalo yoghurt being made in earthen ware pots, lining the sides of the roads sitting in the sun. (similar to a Greek style yoghurt- thick and creamy, and oh sooo delicious.)
Love Cake, a cake with so many different recipes and variations. Usually made for celebrations. I hadn’t actually tasted this one before, but with the ingredients and the name…
Whats not to love?
Love Cake
150 gms crushed cashew nuts (cadjunuts)
125g semolina
3 eggs
150g sugar
125g softened butter
1 tbs rose water
1 1/2 tbs brandy
1/2 tps cinnamon
1/2 tps cardamom
1/2 tps nutmeg
Separate the eggs. Whisk together softened butter, 3 egg yolks, and sugar. Add semolina, cashews, rose water, brandy, spices.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks appear and fold into mixture. Cook in a square tin, greased and lined with paper. Bake at 180C for approx 25 minutes or until golden.
(recipe taken from a local Sri Lankan cookbook and adapted.)
I would LOVE the ❤ Love ❤ cake.
LikeLike
This is such a lovely name for a cake. I’ve tried the version at Flying Fish and it is gorgeous! 😀
LikeLike
Flying Fish is on my list of places to go. Their menu looks divine.
LikeLike
I loved this post, you took for an adventure that ended with Love Cakes. Nice One 🙂
LikeLike
Oh, sounds so divine, and what a scenic post too… when do we go?
LikeLike
Sounds delicous and looks even more so! I liked the build up!! 🙂
LikeLike
loving the love cake…
LikeLike
Thanks all. Sri Lanka is a really special spot. So many things to see, I would go back in a heart beat. Eating the cake is like a little slice of it…
LikeLike
Lovely post which took me straight to your special bit of Sri Lanka. Love cake sounds wonderful, name and ingredients and impressed with your classy diamonds.
LikeLike
My boyfriend and I made this cake for Valentine’s Day and it was amazing! He’s from Sri Lanka and we came upon your recipe when we were looking for Sri Lankan desserts. I was just wondering, did you use semolina flour or the grains? We used the flour but I was just curious what you used.
Your site has some great looking recipes, I can’t wait to try more!
LikeLike
Thankyou Celia 🙂 There a quite a few delicious Sri Lankan sweeties that are just begging to be made, I definitely need to revisit a few!
For the Love Cake I used a fine semolina flour.
LikeLike
Misses your posts on love cake… But I MUST try this. Delish! And I love your evocative writing, Brydie, you really have a gift.
LikeLike
That looks great – love the name.
LikeLike
Pingback: Godambah or stuffed roti « Cityhippyfarmgirl
Pingback: Love, Lavender…and well, pickles | cityhippyfarmgirl