Kuwaiti Saffron Cardamom Cake – Gers Ogely

It’s the 10th of February and its time for to reveal what special sweet, I made for Mena's Cooking Club.

This month in Mena's Cooking Club, I am travelling to Kuwait. Kuwait /kuːˈweɪt/ (Arabic: دولة الكويت‎), officially the State of Kuwait, is an Arab country in Western Asia. Situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, it shares borders with Iraq and Saudi Arabia. As of 2014, Kuwait has a population of 4.1 million people; 1.2 million are Kuwaitis and 2.8 million are expatriates.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Kuwait was a prosperous center of trade and commerce. Starting in the early 20th century, its regional economic importance declined, and by 1934 Kuwait had lost its prominence in long-distance trade.Kuwait's economy was devastated by several trade blockades. During World War I, the British Empire imposed a blockade against Kuwait because its ruler supported the Ottoman Empire. Following the Kuwait–Najd War of 1919–1920, Saudi Arabia maintained a trade blockade against the country from 1923 until 1937. In 1990, Kuwait was invaded by Iraq. The Iraqi occupation came to an end after military intervention by United States-led forces.

Kuwait is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliamentary system. The country ranks highly in regional comparisons of national performance, including protection of civil liberties, press freedom and judicial independence. Kuwait is frequently ranked as having the freest press in the Arab world
This month, I share a recipe for a Kuwaiti cake. Here in Kuwait, a traditional and very popular cake is called Gers Ogely. If you have never heard of this, after googling , still could not find what this really means. This cake is a moist and light. Its an old-fashioned Kuwaiti cake, with a blend of cardamom, saffron spices and sesamee.

Ingredients

2 cups All purpose flour
1 ½ Teaspoon Baking powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
½ Teaspoon Saffron + 1 Tablespoon Sugar
4 Eggs
1 ½ Cup Sugar powdered
½ Cup (113 g) Butter - melted and cooled
1 Cup milk
1 Teaspoon Cardamom powder
1 Teaspoon Rosewater
2 + 2 Tablespoons of Sesame seeds - lightly toasted

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C .

Butter and flour the sides and bottom of a cake pan . Set aside.

In the mortar, crush the saffron threads with the sugar until it’s a powder. Add milk to saffron powder. Leave to soak for at least 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the sesames. Set aside.

In the bowl whisk the eggs and sugar until light and thick and frothy. The mixture should triple in the volume. About 10 – 12 minutes on medium to high speed.

In a large measuring cup, combine the butter, milk cardamom.

Using a spatula, gently fold in the dry and wet ingredients into the eggs, beginning and ending with flour. Fold from top to bottom until combined.

Pour into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle with the toasted sesames.