ESSENTIAL RECIPES- DESSERTS
WHITE CHOCOLATE BURFEE CAKE
By Yudhika Sujanani @ yudhikasujanani
An excerpt from Madame Curry: Feast Pray Love by Yudhika Sujanani, published by Penguin Random House South Africa. Retail price: R480
This cake went platinum the day it was launched in Garden & Home in 2013. It is the most popular cake I have ever created, as it is still met by a frenzy of shares and interest. The success of this cake rests entirely on the quality of the cardamom, because the burfee flavour relies on green cardamom pods. While white pods are cheaper, they hold no flavour, so please do not be tempted to save costs, as this ingredient is a dealbreaker. The green cardamom pods are at their best when freshly ground, for which my little coffee grinder comes in handy. This cake is a classic case of under-promising and over-delivering, as the unexpected lightness of the elegant sponge combines with its subtle, exotic fragrance. The finishing touch is a slather of piquant cream-cheese icing, bedecked with shards of white chocolate and green pistachio slivers. It’ s a conversation stopper.
Serves: 10 – 12
INGREDIENTS
• 8 extra-large eggs
• 370ml sugar
• 500ml cake wheat flour
• pinch salt
• 20ml baking powder
• 125ml cold water
• 7ml freshly ground green cardamom
• 250ml sunflower oil
For the icing:
• 150g butter, room temperature
• 600ml icing sugar
• 375g full-fat smooth cream cheese
• 50 – 75ml pouring cream
• 2ml vanilla essence
To garnish:
• toasted almonds
• 100g white chocolate, melted
• 150g burfee, crumbled
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 170 ° C. Grease three 20cm cake tins with butter and line them with baking paper.
2. Whisk the eggs with an electric beater to soft-peak stage until they have tripled in volume. Still whisking, reduce the speed and gradually add the sugar. The mixture should become thick and shiny, with a trail visible on the surface for 3 – 5 seconds.
3. Sift together the flour, salt and baking powder, and add half to the whisked eggs and sugar. Use a large metal spoon to fold it in. Add the water and work it lightly to loosen the thick batter. Add the ground cardamom. Fold again, add the oil, and continue mixing.( It might look like the batter has split, but the flour will soon begin to absorb the oil.)
Continue folding, lifting, and scraping the bottom of the bowl, until thick and shiny.
4. Divide the batter between the tins. Bake 25 – 30 minutes, or until the cakes are light golden, shrink slightly away from the sides, or until a skewer comes out clean. Turn them out onto a wire rack, flip them over, and leave to cool.
5. To make the icing, cream the butter until light in colour, then gradually add the icing sugar. Add the cream cheese and beat until smooth.
6. Pour in the cream and vanilla essence, and beat lightly to combine. Refrigerate until needed.
7. To assemble the cakes, sandwich the layers with the icing, making sure they are level. Use a spatula to spread the sides and top with a thin layer of icing, just to set the cake. Reserve some icing for a final layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours, to make it easier to handle when you’ re doing the final layer of icing.
8. Finish the cake by spreading the reserved icing over the top and sides. Drizzle the melted white chocolate down the sides to create a drip effect, then sprinkle with burfee and almonds.
COOKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
Win a copy of Madame Curry: Feast Pray Love by Yudhika Sujanani, valued at R480.
Scan QR code to enter. Winner will be announced on the 1st September.
98 | Winter 2026 • essentialflavours. co. za