SUGEE ALMOND

BUTTER CAKE

Makes one 22-cm (8½-in) square cake

My god-brother, Samuel Chan, taught me how to bake this cake which is enjoyed by both the Peranakan and Eurasian communities in Singapore. In the 1970s and 1980s, both communities popularly used this cake as a wedding cake. Its roots can be traced back to the Portuguese in Goa on the west coast of India, who subsequently colonised Malacca, bringing the Indian ingredient (known in India as sugi, suji or soojee) with them. Sugee almond butter cake is basically a butter cake with added semolina (sugee) that gives the cake its characteristic grainy texture and ground almonds that give it its flavour.

Plain (all-purpose) flour 130 g (4½ oz)
Semolina (sugee) flour 80 g (2⅘ oz)
Baking powder 1 tsp
Butter 250 g (9 oz), at room temperature
Castor sugar 175 g (6¼ oz)
Salt ¼ tsp
Eggs 4, at room temperature
Sweetened condensed milk 4 Tbsp
Vanilla essence 1 tsp
Ground almonds 4 Tbsp

1.   Sift plain flour, semolina flour and baking powder into a mixing bowl. Mix well
and set aside.

2.   Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until creamy. Add eggs one
at a time and beat until incorporated. Add condensed milk and vanilla essence.

3.   Fold in flour mixture until incorporated, then fold in ground almonds. Allow batter
to sit for about 5 minutes.

4.   Preheat oven to 170°C (330°F). Line and grease a 22-cm (8½-in) square
baking tin.

5.   Pour batter into prepared baking tin and bake for 30–45 minutes. The baking time
will depend on your oven and the size of the baking tin used. The cake is done
when a skewer inserted into the centre of cake comes out clean.

6.   Remove cake from oven. Leave cake to cool in tin for about 10 minutes before
removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

7.   Decorate cake with fondant if desired. Slice and serve.

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PERANAKAN HERITAGE

Cooking