Turkish Delight Cake

Thanks to a recent Chronicles of Narnia themed school party (and signing up to bring a dessert), I was inspired to create this “Turkish Delight Cake”. But I can’t take all of the creative credit – here’s how it went down: 

Me (to David) : “Can you think of a Chronicles of Narnia themed dessert?”

—one-quarter of a second passes—

David : “Sure (in the tone of ‘duh’) — Turkish Delight”

Me : “Duh – why didn’t I think of that?”

Me : “What is Turkish Delight?” 

David : “Um?” while shoulder shrugging 

Me : “I’ll just ask Google”

After doing a little research I came to understand that Turkish Delight is a nougat, meringue, whipped cream type dessert with dried fruit and nuts. There seems to be a broad spectrum of desserts within the “Turkish Delight” category so I felt I could easily take some liberties and turn it into a sheet cake for a Chronicles of Narnia party.

So here’s what I did :: 

I used my favorite basic sheet cake recipe and added 3 key ingredients 

• chopped pistachios
• frozen dark sweet cherries
• sweetened coconut flakes

In addition to these extras, I added 1 T vanilla, 1 t almond extract and 3 drops of red food coloring.

It was about this time that I have a quick convo with my 6th grader ((who’d be taking this to the Chronicles of Narnia party)). “Shep – there’s nuts and fruit and coconut in this cake. I know kids don’t really like fruit and nuts in cake but it’s “Turkish Delight” and that’s what’s in “Turkish Delight”. After a few licks of the batter he was satisfied that the taste was in fact — delightful.

Once the cake was baked through, I topped it with a simple stove-top buttercream and a sprinkle of pistachios and coconut to serve almost as a warning to any unsuspecting 12 year olds.

I think this version of my infinitely flexible sheet cake is my most favorite yet! The  classic moist sheet cake is speckled with pistachios, cherries and coconut flakes. The nuts add a slightly salty crunch layered with the texture and sweetness of coconut flakes and tart bits of chopped dark cherries.  It’s a delightful mouthful!