MAMA’S BOLE / SEMOLINA, COCONUT AND RAISIN CAKE

Bole Cake or Bolo de Baatica or Baarth Cake is a Semolina Coconut Cake. This cake is another legacy of the Portuguese to Anglo-Indian Cuisine. Traditionally made at Christmas in the olden days, the earlier recipes called for ‘2 wineglasses of sherry’! This cake is mainly made of semolina, desiccated or fresh coconut and raisins which gives an exotic flavor to this cake.

MAMA’S BOLE / SEMOLINA, COCONUT AND RAISIN CAKE

Serves 6   Preparation time 30 minutes

Ingredients

200 grams semolina or soogi                        

1 cup milk

200 grams butter or Margarine                                         

200 grams sugar powdered

4 eggs beaten well                                            

½ teaspoon baking powder

200 grams desiccated coconut

1teaspoon vanilla essence

½ teaspoon salt

100 grams raisins and cashew nuts chopped

Roast the semolina with a little ghee or butter for about 8 to 10 minutes on low heat till it gives out a nice aroma. Cream the butter / margarine and sugar well. Add the eggs, desiccated coconut, salt and vanilla essence and mix well. Slowly add the roasted semolina, and fold in the mixture to form a smooth slightly thick consistency without lumps. Mix in the raisins and cashewnuts. Add a little milk if the mixture is too thick. Pour into a greased and papered baking dish or cake tin and bake in a moderate oven  (250 degrees C) for about one hour or till the cake is done. (use a tooth pick to check if the cake is cooked inside). Cool and remove from the tin.