Sugee Cake

Semolina Cake

There was one particular cake shop in Katong synonymous with sugee cake—Cona’s
Confectionery. The older generation would speak wonderful things about its sugee cake and
its appearance in many Eurasian weddings where a sugee wedding cake was de rigueur.

My mother learnt to make sugee cake from various friends but ultimately, her recipe
was an adaptation of what she considered the best parts of each recipe. A few versions of
my mother’s recipe included mixed spice powder (bumbu kueh, page 114). I have chosen to
include it in this recipe, even if most conventional recipes do not, because I recall a distinct
spicy kick in her sugee cake and suspect that it was attributed to the nutmeg.

makes 6 to 10 servings

230 g or 8 ounces (2 sticks)
butter, softened

2 tablespoons condensed milk
230 g or 8 ounces semolina
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon mixed spice powder
(bumbu kueh) *

13 egg yolks

230 g or 8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
3 egg whites

60 g or 2 ounces almonds, skinned and
finely chopped

4 tablespoons brandy

* Refer to kueh lapis spekkoek (page 114)
for the mixed spice powder recipe.

1.   Whisk butter, condensed milk and semolina until white
for about 10 minutes. Set aside overnight. Make sure the
mixture does not get too soft or greasy.

2.   Combine plain flour, baking powder, mixed spice
powder and sift. Set aside.

3.   When about to bake, preheat oven at 180 degrees C
or 350 degrees F. Butter a round cake tin about 22.5 cm or
9 inches in diameter with some butter. Line the base with
parchment paper.

4.   In a clean bowl, beat the egg yolks, pour in the sugar a
bit at a time, followed by the vanilla essence. Beat until the
mixture is thick.

5.   In another bowl, beat egg whites until light and fluffy.

6.   Fold the beaten egg yolks into the semolina mixture, a
bit at a time to ensure the batter does not get lumpy. Turn
and fold in the flour mixture, followed by the ground almond.
Finally, fold in the beaten egg whites. Turn and fold until the
cake mixture is well combined.

7.   Pour the cake mixture into the greased tin. Bake in the
oven for 45 to 60 minutes until the cake surface is golden
brown and a stick comes out clean when inserted into it.
Cover the top lightly with tin foil if the surface begins to
darken too much.

8.   Let the cake cool. Place a wire rack over the top of the
cake tin and turn it over to get the cake out. Remove the
paper lining at the base of the cake.

9.   Drizzle the brandy over the cake. The cake will taste
better after a day or two. Keep in an airtight container.

120  Growing Up in a  Nonya Kitchen ~ The Housewives Baking Club