Staten Island Holiday Recipe: Sri Lankan Cake From Enoteca Maria

STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK -- Sometimes all you want is a sweet and boozy cake from your Sri Lankan nonna.

Enter Enoteca Maria, the Italian eatery with kitchen run entirely by grandmothers from across the globe, where Staten Islanders have been stuffing themselves with family-focused food since owner Jody Scaravella opened the restaurant in 2007.

Check out the BBC's very tempting photo essay here.

Chef May "Dolly" Joseph hails from Sri Lanka and, when she's not serving up desserts at Enoteca Maria, she's baking for and with her large family.

Whether they're in Sri Lanka or here in NYC, every year Joseph makes them Christmas Cake packed with dried fruits, brandy and a preserved Sri Lankan squash called chow chow.

Give yourself plenty of time for this cake - it takes 24 hours for the fruits to soak up brandy, up to three hours in the oven and a couple more hours to cool.

And for more New York holiday recipes, be sure to check out Patch's Holiday Recipe Roundup.

Enoteca Maria's Sri Lankan Christmas Cake

Prep time: 25 hours
Cook time: 2 to 3 hours
Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

• 250 grams cups raisins
• 120 grams glacé cherries, halved
• 120 candied fruit peels, chopped
• 260 grams preserved ginger
• 1 495-gram jar chow chow
• 260 grams cashews or almonds, chopped
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 tablespoon marmalade
• 1 tablespoon strawberry jam
• 12 ounces butter
• 3 cups caster sugar
• 12 eggs, with 6 egg whites reserved
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons rose water
• 1 tablespoon almond extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 1/2 cup fine semolina flour

Directions:

1. Mix together preserved fruits, nuts, chow chow, brandy, marmalade, jam; cover and allow to sit for at least 24 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 10-inch cake pan with three layers of parchment paper (to prevent burning during this cake's long cook time) and softened butter.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then beat in egg yolks, one at a time.
4. Mix in the vanilla, almond extract, rose water, spices and honey.
5. Add semolina flour to batter and beat until combined.
6. Mix in the fruit-and-nut mixture.
7. Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form, then fold into the batter.
8. Pour batter into prepared cake dish and bake for between two and three hours, covering loosely with tinfoil for the first hour.
9. Allow the cake to cool for several hours before serving.

This recipe was edited for style by Patch for our Holiday Recipe Roundup.

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Enoteca Maria
27 Hyatt St., Staten Island
Phone: (718) 447-2777