Why We Love Margaret's Sugee Cake…
Sugee Cake is typically a favourite in the Eurasian Community. Made for Christmas, Weddings, Anniversaries, Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Birthdays etc, basically a “must have” at every special occasion.
To be able to bake a Perfect Sugee Cake, you'll need not just a great recipe, a precised one too. The cake has to be rich, moist, buttery, grainy with a touch of crisp all around...overall superb in taste & texture.
I grew up where the Eurasian community acknowledged just a select few bakers who have earned the title of "An Elite Sugee Cake Baker" - regulars baking especially for huge weddings, my mum being one of them...and these bakers never revealed their recipes, an heirloom kept like a vaulted secret, my mum no different. Understandable too.
But times have changed where many have caught the home-baking bug and Sugee cake is a popular recipe many are keen to learn & bake for their family & friends and even sell.
As my mum & I are all about encouraging home cooking & home baking and helping anyone keen perfecting the recipes we love, there have been numerous requests to share her personal Sugee Cake recipe.
Though the recipe basically calls for sugee/semolina flour, flour, butter, eggs, sugar etc., the "Elite Bakers" have their individual preferences. Using selected ingredients of the highest quality to very specific time consuming methods.
From the sugee itself, some would roast it, some would soak & keep overnight, then there's the butter, it has to be at the right temperature, some use only egg yolks, some with a few egg whites, then there’s the level of fluffiness in the batter/creaming method, the folding method has to be done well, some with added whisked egg whites towards the end, some no whisked egg whites….😮‍💨😅
While the traditional Eurasian Sugee Cake recipe calls for almonds, we don’t like the smell of almonds and have a preference for the texture and taste of cashews, so, for the past 55 years…one secret is out..my mum only uses cashews.
As my mum is still selling her super delicious Sugee Cake and she’ll probably abandon me if I shared her heirloom recipe 😜, I'm sharing an adapted version of her recipe, an uncomplicated one. A recipe so easy with ingredients easily available in any cake shop, a no hassle step by step method and guide...your cake will be ready in less than 90 mins, you'll just L O V E it!
To my mum, for your patience & guiding me with this adapted recipe to perfection …A BIG THANK YOU!
I did it while balancing a camera in my left hand just so you guys could see every step/method to get it right. So if you follow the exact recipe & exact method with every tip, you'll bake the Perfect Sugee Cake for all your special occasions!
Margaret's Eurasian Sugee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
50g plain flour, sifted
130g cashew nuts, finely chopped/rough blend (mix it with the plain flour, set aside)
120g sugee/semolina flour
250g butter, @ room temperature
180g fine/caster sugar
6 egg yolks (Grade A, no whites)
1/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp brandy (none for Halal)
Method
Please follow all measurements of ingredients/method/timing precisely as per visual
Important tips:
Ingredients
For this video, I used probably the cheapest ingredients to make it as affordable, yet it tasted so good! You can use any brand of any ingredient, even the brandy…any brand depending on your preference and budget.
Cake tin size
Use the exact size cake tin ie: 7 inch square…not aluminium foil/tray. Do not split the batter into smaller tins unless you’re a baker & know how to adjust the temperature when baking with smaller tins
Oven
As some ovens bake cakes differently depending on the oven size/brand/type…you might need to first do it through trial & error, learn/test/monitor in due process
Do not open the oven door at all during the baking process, only when its due for the skewer test.
Cutting of the cake
Once baked, you need to let it rest/cool down first
As different room settings have varied temperature, it takes different time to cool
Let it rest for at least 3 hours to be safer.
Do not cut if the cake is not completely cooled.
And always use a VERY sharp knife to cut.
How long can the cake last?
We always eat Sugee Cake within a few days but you can also keep any balance refrigerated in an airtight container/tupperware and it will be good for up to 2 weeks, even a month actually.
The brandy adds to the flavour/depth, also as a preservative ingredient. If you’re not adding brandy, I’d suggest to consume it faster
My final words
If you’re keen to try this adapted recipe, there are NO changes to it. If I can bake it perfectly each time (and I’m not a baker), you will be able to bake it too!
Good luck guys & Happy baking!! 💕
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