Turkish Islak Kek

If there’s one Turkish cake that stands out from all the rest, it just has to be this iconic islak kek, translated to the wet cake. It may not sound as good as it looks and tastes but you must try this recipe for it epitomises Turkish sweet treats in general, sticky, moist, rich and oh so tender!

Ingredients:

200g of light brown sugar

250g of plain flour
3 medium eggs, at room temperature
200ml of unflavoured oil
200ml of milk/any milk of your choice
1sp of organic vanilla extract
4 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking powder
Fresh strawberries/seasonal fruit, for decoration (optional)

For the chocolate sauce:
3 tablespoons of dark cocoa powder
A pinch of sea salt
100ml of unflavoured oil
150g of light brown sugar
150ml of double cream
200g of dark chocolate chips

Method:

1- Preheat your oven to 180°C and line your brownie tin with greaseproof paper, set aside. Next, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs and sugar on a high speed, this will take about 5 minutes. Add your oil, milk, and vanilla and whisk again for just another couple of minutes.

2- Next, add in all your dry ingredients and beat for a few more minutes until the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour into your baking dish and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean once inserted into the centre of the cake.

3- Whilst the cake is baking, make the sauce by heating a small saucepan over medium-high heat and mixing in all of your ingredients apart from the chocolate chips with a whisk. Once the liquid has come to a simmering point, turn the heat off and add in your chocolate chips and whisk well, it should be nice and thick and glossy now, ready for your cake!

4- Once your cake is ready, slice it up while it’s still in the baking dish and pour over the warm sauce on the hot cake right away as this will absorb the sauce better. Serve after a minimum of 2 hours and garnish with fresh strawberries or seasonal fruits. Afiyet Olsun!