Sugee cake from Mary's Kafe in Singapore.
I also knew this as 'Love' cake. Here's some background to that:
"While the Burghers’ love cake of Sri Lanka and the sugee cake of Eurasians in Singapore and Malaysia (“a typical Eurasian wedding cake”) are both recognisable in recipes for a European-style butter-based cake,with semolina and nuts contributing to its grainy texture and brandy or cognac to its keeping qualities, distinctive flavours contribute to the cake’s association with particular communities and places: “Burgher cooks normally add cashews and flavour the cake with cardamom and rose essence, while Eurasians from Penang and Malacca are more likely to use ground almonds, vanilla essence and brandy”. In fact, as Michelle Burns points out, the love cake/sugee cake becomes a distinguishing marker of identity among Eurasians in Southeast Asia with love cake attributed to those Eurasians of Dutch Berger descent in Sri Lanka and sugee cake to other Eurasians, particularly those descended from the Settlements in the Strait of Malacca." From: Love in a hot climate: foodscapes of trade, travel, war, and intimacy Jean Duruz
Butter based cakes or pound cakes originated around the 1700s in England. The ingredient combination of Semolina and ground almonds in Sugee cake however suggest an earlier provenance in the middle eastern/mediterranean region of Ottoman origin. Sephardic Jews call it tishpishti, Harisa in Jordan, Ravani in Persian, Basbousa in Egypt.
Basbousa in Arabic means 'kiss or kisses'. Hence 'love' cake?
I also knew this as 'Love' cake. Here's some background to that:
"While the Burghers’ love cake of Sri Lanka and the sugee cake of Eurasians in Singapore and Malaysia (“a typical Eurasian wedding cake”) are both recognisable in recipes for a European-style butter-based cake,with semolina and nuts contributing to its grainy texture and brandy or cognac to its keeping qualities, distinctive flavours contribute to the cake’s association with particular communities and places: “Burgher cooks normally add cashews and flavour the cake with cardamom and rose essence, while Eurasians from Penang and Malacca are more likely to use ground almonds, vanilla essence and brandy”. In fact, as Michelle Burns points out, the love cake/sugee cake becomes a distinguishing marker of identity among Eurasians in Southeast Asia with love cake attributed to those Eurasians of Dutch Berger descent in Sri Lanka and sugee cake to other Eurasians, particularly those descended from the Settlements in the Strait of Malacca." From: Love in a hot climate: foodscapes of trade, travel, war, and intimacy Jean Duruz
Butter based cakes or pound cakes originated around the 1700s in England. The ingredient combination of Semolina and ground almonds in Sugee cake however suggest an earlier provenance in the middle eastern/mediterranean region of Ottoman origin. Sephardic Jews call it tishpishti, Harisa in Jordan, Ravani in Persian, Basbousa in Egypt.
Basbousa in Arabic means 'kiss or kisses'. Hence 'love' cake?
