Hi there! If you love cakes that are rich, fragrant and wonderfully different from a light sponge, you are in for a treat. This Sri Lankan love cake is dense, moist and packed with cashews, semolina, warm spices, rosewater and little pieces of sweet pumpkin preserve.
It is traditionally served at Christmas, weddings and other special celebrations. You will often find it cut into small diamonds or squares because this is a rich cake (a little piece goes a surprisingly long way).
What Is Sri Lankan Love Cake?
Sri Lankan love cake is a festive semolina cake with a soft, chewy centre and a lightly caramelised top. It is closely associated with Sri Lanka’s Burgher community, including the Dutch Burgher tradition, and is often linked to earlier Portuguese influences in colonial Ceylon.
The cake became a treasured part of Christmas tables and celebration feasts. Families passed recipes from one generation to the next, adjusting the spices, sweetness and amount of cashews along the way. Some versions use honey, while others use kithul treacle. Pumpkin preserve, also called puhul dosi, gives the cake its distinctive jewel-like pieces and gentle fruity sweetness.
For more background, you can read the BBC feature on Sri Lankan love cake.
Your goal: Bake the cake gently, cool it completely and let the flavours settle. Love cake rewards patience (rather like a good family story).
Ingredients
This recipe makes one 20 cm (8-inch) square cake, or approximately 16 small squares.
For the cake
- 250 g semolina
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened
- 300 g fine sugar
- 6 large eggs, separated
- 225 g cashews, coarsely chopped
- 150 g pumpkin preserve, puhul dosi or finely chopped glacé fruit
- 80 ml honey or kithul treacle
- 2 tablespoons rosewater
- Finely grated zest of 1 lime or lemon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
You can find your baking staples in the Sri Lanka Stores Grocery category. For cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and other aromatic ingredients, browse the Spices category.
If you cannot find pumpkin preserve, use chopped glacé pumpkin, melon preserve or a mixture of finely chopped candied peel and dried fruit. The flavour will change slightly, but your cake will still be delicious.
How to Make Sri Lankan Love Cake
1. Prepare the tin and semolina
Preheat your oven to 150°C conventional or 140°C fan-forced. Grease a 20 cm square cake tin and line the base and sides with baking paper. Leave a little paper overhanging the sides so you can lift out the cooled cake easily.
Place the semolina in a dry frying pan over low heat. Stir for 3–5 minutes, just until it smells lightly nutty. Do not brown it. You want fragrance, not toast.
Remove the pan from the heat and leave the semolina to cool.
2. Cream the butter and sugar
Place the softened butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat for 3–4 minutes until creamy and slightly pale.
This step adds a little air to the mixture, but remember that love cake is meant to be dense. You are not trying to create a fluffy sponge.
3. Beat in the egg yolks
Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go.
Add the honey or kithul treacle, rosewater, lime zest and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
The mixture may look thick and rich at this point. That is exactly what you want.
4. Add the spices, semolina and nuts
In a separate bowl, mix the cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Add the cooled semolina, spice mixture, chopped cashews and pumpkin preserve to the butter and egg mixture. Stir thoroughly with a sturdy spatula.
The batter will become very thick. Do not panic. Love cake batter is more like a soft, fragrant paste than a pourable sponge batter.
5. Whip and fold in the egg whites
Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. Beat until they form soft peaks. You can take them to medium peaks, but avoid beating them until they become dry and grainy.
Add one-third of the egg whites to the thick cake mixture and stir gently to loosen it. Then fold in the remaining egg whites in two additions.
Use a gentle lifting motion. Stop as soon as you no longer see large white streaks.
Why separate the eggs? The whipped whites provide just enough lift to soften the dense batter without turning the finished cake into a light, airy sponge.
6. Bake low and slow
Transfer the batter to the prepared tin. Press it into the corners and smooth the top with a spatula.
Bake for 60–75 minutes, depending on your oven and the depth of your tin. Start checking after 55 minutes.
The cake is ready when:
- The top is golden brown.
- The centre feels firm but still slightly soft.
- A skewer inserted into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- The cake has pulled back very slightly from the sides of the tin.
If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the remaining baking time. Do not press the foil onto the cake.
7. Cool before cutting
Leave the cake in the tin until completely cool. This may take 2–3 hours.
Once cool, lift it out using the baking paper. Trim the edges if you like, then cut it into small squares or diamonds.
For an even richer flavour, wrap the cooled cake and leave it overnight before serving. The spices become rounder, and the crumb settles into its signature dense, moist texture.
Tips for Dense, Moist Love Cake
- Use softened butter. Cold butter will not cream properly, while melted butter can make the cake greasy.
- Do not over-toast the semolina. A little warmth brings out its flavour, but too much browning can make the cake taste bitter.
- Chop the cashews fairly small. Large pieces can make the cake difficult to slice.
- Fold the egg whites gently. Overmixing removes the air that helps balance the dense texture.
- Bake at a low temperature. A hot oven can brown the top before the centre has cooked.
- Cool the cake completely. Warm love cake is soft and crumbly. It firms as it cools.
- Let it rest overnight. This is optional, but highly recommended for the best flavour.
Troubleshooting Sri Lankan Love Cake
My love cake is dry
The cake may have baked too long, or your oven may run hotter than its setting. Check it early next time and remove it when the centre still has a few moist crumbs.
Using too little butter, honey or preserve can also make the cake dry. Measure carefully, and do not pack the semolina tightly into the measuring cup.
The centre sank
A sinking centre usually means the cake was underbaked, the egg whites were over-beaten, or the oven door was opened too early.
Bake until the centre feels set, and avoid opening the oven during the first 45 minutes. Fold the egg whites gently rather than beating the finished batter.
The cake is too crumbly
It may have been sliced while warm. Give it more time to cool before cutting.
The batter may also have been mixed too heavily after adding the egg whites. Stir just enough to combine, then stop. A little patience works wonders here.
The top is over-browned
Cover the cake loosely with foil once the top turns golden. You can also lower the oven temperature slightly and extend the baking time.
Make sure the cake tin is positioned in the centre of the oven, away from the top heating element.
How to Store Love Cake
Once completely cool, wrap the cake tightly in baking paper or foil and place it in an airtight container.
- At room temperature: Store for up to 5 days in a cool, dry place.
- In the refrigerator: Store for up to 2 weeks. Bring it to room temperature before serving.
- In the freezer: Wrap individual portions well and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let the pieces sit at room temperature before eating.
Serve your love cake with tea or coffee, or add it to a festive dessert table beside other Sri Lankan favourites such as traditional watalappan. You can also explore more ideas with Sri Lankan milk toffee.
Watch the Recipe
Make this cake for Christmas, a wedding, a family gathering or simply because Tuesday deserves something special. Cut small pieces, put the kettle on and enjoy every fragrant, nutty bite.
Have fun baking!
