Doolsho

Ingredients

Sponge

• 400 gplain flour
• 400 gcaster sugar
• 350 gbutter, softened
• 6eggs
• 3 teaspoonsbaking powder
• 1/2 teaspoonsalt
• 2 teaspoonsground cardamom
• 150 mlmilk
• 1 teaspoonvanilla

Sometimes added

• 100 gdesiccated coconut
• the zest of 1 orange
• a pinch of saffron

Filling and icing

• 500 gbutter, softened
• 800 gicing sugar
• 4 tablespoonsmilk
• 1 teaspoonvanilla
• food colouring, several bright colours
• jam or fruit, for the filling

To finish

• desiccated coconut
• chopped nuts
• silver balls or sprinkles

Directions

1. Grind the seeds fresh if you can. Beat them until pale and fluffy. Give it a good six full minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add a spoonful of flour if it curdles. Combining it needs a light hand.
2. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the ground cardamom to it. Fold it into the creamed mixture. Fold rather than beat at this stage. Stop as soon as no flour shows. Add the coconut or zest now if using them. Baking it takes about forty minutes.
3. Heat the oven to 175C before baking. Butter and line two or three round tins. Divide the batter evenly between them. Bake them for about thirty-five minutes. A skewer should come out clean.
4. Let them sit in the tins for ten minutes. Let them cool entirely before icing. Warm cake melts buttercream instantly. Trim any dome off each layer with a knife. Making the buttercream takes some beating. Beat the butter until very pale and soft. Give it a full five minutes on its own.
5. Add the icing sugar gradually. Add it a large spoonful at a time. Beat well after each addition. Add the milk and the vanilla to it. Beat it until light and spreadable. Divide the buttercream into several bowls. Use gel colours rather than liquid ones. Keep one bowl white for the base coat. Assembling it takes some care.
6. Set the first layer on a board or stand. Spread buttercream over the top. Add jam or fruit if you want it. Set the next layer down on top. Press it down gently and evenly. Repeat for the remaining layers. Check it is level as you go along. Spread a thin layer of white buttercream all over. Refrigerate the cake for thirty minutes.
7. Spread the outer coat on smooth. Cover the whole cake generously. Scatter coconut, nuts or sprinkles over. Add silver balls if you have them. Serving it is done at the celebration.

Technique

• Somali and Djiboutian celebration baking draws on Italian and British bakery styles left behind by colonial administration, with local cardamom and coconut added to make something distinct.
• The cake is decorated very brightly and deliberately, since it is the centrepiece of a wedding and is meant to be seen across the room.
• Gel food colouring should be used rather than liquid, which thins the buttercream.

Substitutions

• Any plain sponge recipe works as the base, with cardamom added generously.
• Jam, fruit or plain buttercream all work as the filling between layers.

Variations

• Some bakers add coconut, orange zest or saffron to the sponge.
• The number of layers varies from two to five or more.
• Similar brightly iced celebration cakes are made across the Horn of Africa.

History

Djiboutian and Somali celebration cakes fuse Italian and British bakery styles with local cardamom and coconut.

Frequently asked questions

What is Doolsho?

Doolsho is a dessert from Djibouti: layered sponge cake, brightly iced, cut at weddings and Eid. Djiboutian and Somali celebration cakes fuse Italian and British bakery styles with local cardamom and coconut.

How long does Doolsho take to make?

Doolsho takes 45 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes one cake, 16 slices. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Doolsho?

Yes, within limits. Any plain sponge recipe works as the base, with cardamom added generously. Jam, fruit or plain buttercream all work as the filling between layers.

What is the most important thing to get right in Doolsho?

Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the ground cardamom to it. Fold it into the creamed mixture. Fold rather than beat at this stage. Stop as soon as no flour shows. Add the coconut or zest now if using them. Baking it takes about forty minutes.