When the 70-year-old Sri Lankan-born, Shiranie Christie-David, talks about , she exudes a warmth that’s lovingly contagious.
To Shiranie, the mother of – founder and CEO of – love cake is so much more than a mere dessert. Love cake is a dish that’s made for ‘loving’ occasions in the Sri Lankan community: Christmas, weddings, baptisms, Easters and more.
That’s why the , enriched with cashew nuts and spices, has grown to symbolise the truest loves of all time: a love of family, homeland and culture.
Shiranie Christie-David: “My three children grew up in Australia watching me make love cake." Credit: lauren kelly/Jonah Pearson Photography
As she explains, every Sri Lankan household has its own version of love cake that represents a fusion of their ancestral histories. “The love cake I make now is the combination of my mother and mother-in-law’s recipes. So whenever I make and eat Sri Lankan love cake, I remember my family. It definitely helps me to feel love.”
Why is it called 'love cake'?
It’s believed that love cake (also known as ) was first made by the Portuguese in the 16th century before it evolved into a traditional Sri Lankan dish.
There are many theories explaining how love cake (which is different to the ) got its name. But the one that makes the most sense to Christie-David is that it used to be a “labour of love to make love cake from scratch”.
“I remember my mother making it over the course of a few days,” she says. “On the first day, she would buy all of the ingredients. The next day, she would chop the ingredients and grind the spices, and so on. Once the cake was cooked, it would be left to rest for a few days so the flavours could intensify.
“This was not a cake that we used to eat often because it was so time-consuming to make. That’s why it was only for special occasions.”
Yet, the hard work behind a love cake always paid off.
“The first time I ever made love cake myself (with my mother watching over me) was when I was 20-years-old and engaged. I was living in Sri Lanka and my fiance was in Saudi Arabia.
"I knew he liked the cake so I made it and sent it over to him. It was an act of love.”
How love cake inspired a migrant's life in Australia
Although Christie-David’s love cake has Sri Lankan roots, the dish has also inspired many of the migrant’s Sydney-based memories.
“My three children grew up in Australia watching me make love cake. The delicious smell of the cake cooking used to linger in my home. When I smell the cake baking today, it reminds me of the time I spent with my kids when they were young. It was always worth being at home to cook for my children.”
Her son, Shaun, remembers how the cake’s aromas used to waft through his childhood home. "To me, it is the nostalgia of the intoxicating blending of the rosewater and cardamom and nutmeg all baking in the oven," he says. "The smell [would] stay in the house for weeks."
Back then, his mother recalls, Australia was a very different place. “When I first came to Sydney, Sri Lankan pumpkin preserve was not readily available in shops. Whenever a friend or family member used to visit from Sri Lanka, I would always ask them to bring pumpkin preserve with them.
“But that's going back 40-odd years ago and times have changed. Ingredients from all over the world are now available in Australia.”
Wouldn't it be nice to be able to spread love with a simple slice of cake?
Over the years of living in Australia, the home cook has made Sri Lankan love cake for her grandchildren, several friend’s weddings and most recently for the 75th anniversary of her local church in Camden, NSW.
“I encourage everyone to eat love cake,” says Shiranie Christie-David. “It doesn’t matter if you are Sri Lankan or not, the cake just tastes delicious.”
In fact, it’s also not as labour-intensive to make the cake anymore, thanks to modern cooking appliances that weren't around back in Christie-David’s youth and the widespread availability of ground spices in supermarkets.
“These days, you don’t have to wait for a special occasion to make love cake like we used to do back in Sri Lanka," she says. "You can have love cake whenever you want to spread the love. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to spread love with a simple slice of cake?”
