Wattalapam (a Sri Lankan baked custard)

This weekend our friends are out of town and we're feeding their chickens. Today we collected four eggs so I brainstormed eggy desserts. This one is an old favourite. I first posted this recipe over seven years ago and it quickly became the most frequently visited page on the blog. Guess wattalapam is something a lot of people search for ...

Wattalapam is a Sri Lankan dessert, a little reminiscent of a spicy, coconut-based crème brulée. I've experimented a bit since obtaining the recipe, significantly reducing the quantity of sugar. I like the not-so-sweet version better, but you could double or triple the sugar if you like.

15 to 20 g dark palm sugar (jaggery), grated
125 ml coconut cream
2 eggs
ground cardamom
6 cashews, roasted and halved

Dissolve jaggery in warm coconut cream. Whisk eggs and mix with the coconut cream, jaggery and cardamom. Pour the mixture into two ramekins, top with cashews and bake in a water bath for 30 to 40 minutes at 175 degrees C. The wattalapam should be firm; try not to overcook or you'll get bubbles in the mixture. Serves two.

If you, like me, are a fan of cardamom you may also like to make firni (a spicy rice pudding), coffee and cardamom ice cream, or besan laddu (chickpea flour fudge). Mmmmmm!