Sri Lankan Love Cake with Cashew and Pumpkin

Ingredients

 * 16 eggs
 * 675 gm sugar
 * 450 gm semolina
 * 450 gm butter
 * 900 gm nuts, cashew
 * 450 gm preserves, pumpkin
 * ½ nutmeg
 * 2 cardamom
 * 2 cloves
 * ½ tsp cinnamon, ground
 * 25 ml golden syrup
 * 1 lime, zest from
 * 25 ml vanilla essence
 * 2 tsp almond essence
 * 3 tsp rose essence

Directions

 * 1) Separate the eggs and beat the yolks and sugar together in a bowl to form a smooth cream.
 * 2) Dry roast the semolina and mix well with the butter.
 * 3) Mince the cashews, chop the pumpkin preserve, grate the nutmeg and crush the cardamoms and cloves.
 * 4) Stiffly beat eight egg whites.
 * 5) Beat the semolina and butter mixture into the egg yolks, then fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites followed by the cashew nuts, pumpkin preserve, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, golden syrup, lime rind and essences and mix well together.
 * 6) Put mixture into a greased cake tin and place in a moderate oven (170°C / Gas Mark 3) for 2-2½ hours, or until a skewer inserted in the cake comes out clean.