The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

Ramadan is never complete without Oriental desserts; be it konafa, basbousa, zalabya or baklava. Every year during Ramadan, Cairene pastry shops are adding creative ingredients and coming up with new ways to reintroduce classic Ramadan desserts, from smothering kunafa with Nutella to stuffing it with red velvet. Local ice cream shop, Sultana, however came up with a simple yet exquisite twist to kunafa that is worth trying.

A takeout shop located at El Korba Street, Sultana has a cheerful atmosphere with its large ice cream displays, a big freezer showcasing ice cream cakes and its appetizing chocolate shelves.

Sultana’s Ramadan desserts menu is quite simple, with a selection of konafa and ice cream cakes, including Konafa Cheesecake (200LE), Konafa Chocolate Nutella (240LE) and Cream and Caramel Ice Cream Cake (240LE); but what grabbed our attention the most was the Konafa Mango Ice Cream Cake (240LE) with its presentation and colours.   

Sultana’s konafa mango ice cream cake consists of a layer of mango ice cream at the bottom, topped with another layer of vanilla ice cream, mango chunks and surround by sweet and crispy konafa sticks.

The consistency and the quality of the ice cream were fantastic, the layer of the vanilla ice cream is twice as big as the mango ice cream which made a perfect balance of flavours, while the kunafa sticks were a delight especially when dipped into the ice cream followed by a bite of mango chunks. Overall the cake was delicious and has a taste similar to creamy konafa with mango, only colder and lighter.    

Even though it’s quite simple, Sultana’s take on konafa mango was delightful. It’s new, smart, perfect in this hot weather and after a heavy fetar, it’s just what we all need.