A nostalgic treasure - The Aramco cake
Aramco cake, 2023. Courtesy of Khobar 101 Cafe.
To many of us who grew up in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia a few decades ago, the Aramco cake represents a beloved memory. A simple yet delicious cake, it rose to popularity at a time when sweets and desserts didn’t have the variety that they have plenty of today.
Simple enough to bake, the main ingredient of the cake is a flour mix imported from the U.S.—known as a ‘white cake mix’ (or خليط الكيك الأبيض), and informally known as the Aramco flour mix.
We loved it, not because it looked unique or fancy—as it’s a regular cake—but because of the joy it brought and the gatherings it helped sweeten. And perhaps because of its unbelievably soft and fluffy taste that helped it stand out from the rest.
We want you, readers who have either already tried the cake many times before, or who have never heard of it, to experience the pleasure that is the Aramco cake now. Whether you want to prepare it yourself in the comfort of your own kitchen, buy it from a bakery because you don’t trust your own cooking skills, or try a new and more interesting version of it, we’ll tell you exactly how to get a hold of this precious gem.
We talked with Haniyya Nashaat, a cooking enthusiast from Khobar, to understand the ins and outs of making this cake recipe.
When asked about how and when she first heard of the cake, she answered: “My uncle and grandfather were both Aramco employees around 34 and 50 years ago, respectively. That’s how I first heard of the cake, from them, and once it became popular and bakeries outside the Aramco community started selling it, I tried it for the first time.”
Haniyya recalls her first bite of the cake in 2001, when she was 7, saying: “I remember thinking, ‘I want more of this and I want to try preparing it.’” At 25, not only did she start making it, but she also began playing with the recipe; sometimes stuffing the cake with blueberry or raspberry, and other times using its special flour in the recipes of other cakes.
Ithraeyat asked Haniyya to describe the ‘secret’ of making it and here is what she shared in terms of ingredients and directions. They are as simple as the cake looks.
Ingredients:
- 7 cups of the white cake mix, or the ‘Aramco flour mix’ — which you can find at Al Baraka and Al Janoub mills in Khobar.
- 2 ¼ cups of water.
Directions:
- Mix the ingredients together into a bowl.
- Pour the mix into a pan and bake it at 180 degrees C for 25-30 minutes.
Or you could try her other recipe, where instead of mixing just the flour mix and water, she also adds 2 ¼ cups of milk, two eggs, 1 small tablespoon of vanilla powder, and a ½ cup of oil (or ¼ cup of melted butter). Mix together for one minute, then pour into a pan and bake at 180 degrees C for 35-40 minutes.
aramco cake, 2023. Courtesy of Khobar 101 Cafe.
Our last question to Haniyya was about whether she feels there is a difference between the Aramco cake of the past and the one made today. “It used to be made with love and warmth,” she laughs. “Today, it feels more like a commercial product, rather than a dish your loved one prepares for you to express their love or appreciation.”
If your baking skills are not there yet, or you’re simply not in the mood to cook, but still very much crave an Aramco cake, we welcome you to the world of Khobar 101 Café.
The founder of the café, Ibrahim Bu-Murra, is a culinary arts consultant in the food and beverages industry who is also very interested in topics concerning Khobar, Dhahran and Aramco. This includes the Aramco cake.
At the café, you will not only find one type of Aramco cake, you will also struggle deciding what flavor to pick.
“Baking an Aramco cake is nothing special; you just need the instant mix and water,” says Ibrahim, when asked about how to bake the cake. “What we’re interested in doing at Khobar 101 is reintroducing the Aramco cake in a way that appeals to the newer generations.”
Ibrahim says the reason the cake is dear to many, especially in the Eastern Province, is because of the emotions and precious memories associated with it. “We want to preserve this cake and help it become as loved by the youth of today as it was by us during our time. We want to inspire the youth to ask ‘why?’ and get curious about the past.”
You could try out the various unique flavors at Khobar 101 Café, or buy it from AlEid Bakery—the same bakery the older generations used to get it from. The bakery has different branches in Saihat, Qatif, Khobar, and Dammam.
We hope you enjoy your Aramco cake.
If you have a personal story to share with this very special cake, please write to us: Ithraeyat@ithra.com
Aramco cake, 2023. Courtesy of Khobar 101 Cafe.
Aramco Cake, 2023. Courtesy of Khobar 101 Cafe.
Aramco Cake, 2023. Courtesy of Khobar 101 Cafe.
Aramco Cake, 2023. Courtesy of Khobar 101 Cafe.
