DUBAI: “Upon sharing that I am a chef, I always get the same question: ‘what’s your speciality?’” muses chef Ashley Wentling with Arab News. “After years of not knowing how to answer, I think I have come to realize it is this cake,” she explains of her delicious labneh-infused treat that sold out within the first hour of opening every evening when she first introduced it in Kuwait.
“I’ve turned it into birthday cakes, muffins, cupcakes and wedding cakes. It lends itself to any flavor change— I constantly tweak the details but the base stays the same,” she notes.
Below, the Dubai-based chef shares her recipe for the delicious labneh cake. You can enjoy the sweet treat over a soothing cup of Moroccan tea after iftar or the latest Ramadan television series.
Ingredients:
230 grams butter, at room temperature
300 grams sugar
100 grams labneh
9 grams date syrup
3 ea eggs
½ ea orange zest
220 grams flour
3.5 grams salt
3.5 grams baking soda
You can enjoy the sweet treat over a soothing cup of Moroccan tea after iftar or the latest Ramadan television series. (Supplied)
Directions:
1. With an electric mixer, whip together butter and sugar for three minutes until it is light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs one at a time, whipping between each addition, until each egg has disappeared before adding the next one.
3. Whisk in your labneh, date syrup and zest until fully combined.
4. In a separate bowl, measure out your dry ingredients– flour, salt and baking soda– and whisk to ensure everything is mixed well.
5. Gently fold dry ingredients into your butter and sugar mixture with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl and being careful to not over-mix. Pour into two cake rounds or loaf pans, cupcake tins or bundt cake pans that you have brushed liberally with butter, and bake at 177 celsius until a toothpick comes out clean. Typically about 25-30 minutes depending on your pan or oven power.
6. Top with fresh fruit or icing.
Icing ingredients:
1 400 gram container of labneh
1 cup of powdered sugar
150 grams of very soft butter
A squeeze of lemon or orange juice and it's zest
A pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Whip everything for about three minutes until very fluffy and refrigerate for an hour before using.
2. Add vanilla bean, a pinch of ground saffron if you desire, or a dash of rosewater.
3. Frost the tops of the cakes and refrigerate for about 45 minutes before stacking.
Tastes best when served at room temperature.
