How to make Turkish delight: three delicious recipes

You’ll finally understand why Edmund was tempted into joining the White Witch in ‘The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe’ when you taste this treat. Sticky, sweet and pink there’s a reason it’s called a delight.

This melt-in-your-mouth confection originated in Istanbul in the 18th century and has been around ever since. Try this authentic homemade version and you’ll never want to eat the stuff in the packets again.

Recipes courtesy of our sister site, Foodtolove.com.au.

How to make Turkish delight

Ingredients

Turkish delight MAKES 36

• 4 cups caster sugar

• 4 cups water

• 2 tbsp lemon juice

• 1 cup corn flour

• 1/4 cup powdered gelatine

• 1 tspcream of tartar

• 2 tsp rosewater essence

• few drops red food colouring

• 2 cups icing sugar mixture, plus extra, for storing

Steps

• Lightly grease and line base and sides of a 20cm square cake pan with baking paper, allowing sides to overhang.

• In a large saucepan, combine sugar and 2 cups water. Stir over a low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and cook, without stirring, brushing down sides of pan occasionally with a wet pastry brush, for 20-25 minutes, or until a candy thermometer reaches 125°C. Stir in lemon juice.

• Meanwhile, place cornflour, gelatine and cream of tartar in a large saucepan. Use a balloon whisk to whisk in a little of the remaining water to form a paste. Gradually whisk in the rest of the water. Stir over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, until mixture boils and thickens.

• Gradually pour sugar syrup into cornflour mixture, whisking constantly (if the mixture becomes lumpy, pour through a fine sieve into another saucepan). Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally (to prevent mixture sticking to the base of the pan), for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is light golden and reaches 110°C on the candy thermometer. Stir rosewater and colouring through. Pour into pan. Set aside to cool, then chill overnight.

• Sift icing sugar onto a tray. Using a lightly greased knife, cut turkish delight into 3cm pieces. Toss in sugar to coat, and wrap in baking paper if desired. Keep in an airtight container with extra icing sugar.

How to make Turkish delight cupcakes

Ingredients

Turkish delight cupcakes

• 60 gwhite eating chocolate, chopped roughly

• 2 tbsprose water

• 1/2 cup(125ml) water

• 1/3 cup(45g) pistachios

• 90 gbutter, softened

• 1 cup(220g) firmly packed brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2/3 cup(100g) self-raising flour

• 2 tbspplain flour

Decorations

• 900 gturkish delight, chopped coarsely

• 2/3 cup(90g) coarsely chopped pistachios

• 300 gwhite eating chocolate, melted

Steps

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Line 6-hole texas (3/4-cup/180ml) muffin pan with paper cases.

• Stir chocolate, rose water and the water in small saucepan over low heat until smooth. Blend or process nuts until fine.

• Beat butter, sugar and eggs in small bowl with electric mixer until combined. Stir in sifted flours, ground pistachios and warm chocolate mixture. Divide mixture among cases.

• Bake cakes for about 35 minutes. Turn cakes, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

• Cut a 2.5cm (1-inch) deep hole in the centre of each cold cake; fill with a few nuts, then drizzle with a little chocolate and replace lids.

• Decorate cakes with pieces of turkish delight and remaining nuts, dipped in chocolate to secure.

Tips

This recipe also makes 12 standard muffins (⅓ -cup/80ml); bake about 25 minutes.

How to make Turkish delight roulade with pomegranate syrup and jelly

Ingredients

Pomegranate jelly and syrup

• 2 pomegranates (640g)

• 3 titanium-strength gelatine leaves (15g)

• 1 cup(250ml) rosé wine

• 1 cup(220g) caster (superfine) sugar

• 2 tsprosewater

Turkish delight roulade with pomegranate syrup and jelly

• 4 eggs, separated

• 1/2 cup(110g) caster (superfine) sugar

• 40 gbutter, melted

• 2 tbsphot water

• 1 tspvanilla extract

• 1/2 cup(75g) self-raising flour

• 2 tbspcaster (superfine) sugar, extra

• 15 grose persian fairy floss (optional)

• 250 gmascarpone

• 1/3 cup(80ml) thickened (heavy) cream

Steps

Pomegranate jelly and syrup

• Remove seeds from pomegranate; reserve 1/3 cup seeds. Process remaining seeds to a rough puree; strain. You need 1/2 cup (125ml) juice.

• Soak gelatine in a large bowl of cold water 4 minutes or until softened. Stir wine and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil; simmer for 1 minute. Add pomegranate juice and rosewater; bring almost to the boil. Transfer 1 cup (250ml) mixture to a small bowl.

• Squeeze excess water from gelatine, add to bowl; stir until gelatine dissolves. Pour into a small container so jelly is 2cm deep. Refrigerate for 3 hours or until set. Unmould jelly; cut into 2cm cubes. Meanwhile, simmer remaining syrup in pan for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Refrigerate until needed.

Turkish delight roulade with pomegranate syrup and jelly

• Preheat oven 180°C. Grease 26cm x 32cm swiss roll pan; line base and long sides with baking paper extending the paper 2cm above sides.

• Beat egg yolks and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer for 5 minutes or until thick and pale. Add combined butter, water and extract; fold in sifted flour. Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; fold into flour mixture, in two batches. Pour mixture into pan; smooth surface.

• Bake cake for 12 minutes or until just firm to the touch. Turn cake onto a large piece of baking paper, sprinkled with extra sugar; trim edges of cake slightly. Using paper as a guide, roll up hot cake from a long side; stand for 2 minutes. Unroll; cool.

• To make filling, Beat mascarpone and cream with 2 tablespoons of the chilled syrup in a bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Refrigerate until cake has cooled completely.

• Spread cake with filling, leaving a 1cm border on all sides. Place half the jelly cubes in one line across cream. Using paper as a guide, roll up the cake. Place roulade on a tray; refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm.

• Just before serving, drizzle roulade with chilled syrup; top with reserved pomegranate seeds, remaining jelly and fairy floss.