Orange Semolina Syrup Cake

If I could, I’d eat orange infused muffins and cakes, all day, every day. There is something magical about what a fresh orange can do to a fairly basic batter. And I never ever get bored of it. This particular one has semolina in it, which for some reason, I’ve never baked with before. Time to recify that though, because it creates the most wonderful texture along with ground almonds. Aaaaand the whole thing is soaked in a seriously good, citrusy sugar syrup, making this the most addictive cake!

I first saw this recipe on Bibby’s Kitchen and the semolina intrigued me. It’s odd how it’s in my kitchen all the time but I don’t really bake with it. I revisited this recipe because the first time I’d made it, I’d included many changes that simplified it based on what I had on hand at the time. But it did have a bit of a raising agent issue that caused it to sink in the center. So reducing the amount and using only soda, not baking powder, did the trick. I also simplified the syrup with no compromises to the taste and I’m really excited about this cake!

The original recipe requires a bit of time to boil the oranges till they lose their bitterness and makes a much larger amount. I wanted a small, quick cake, so I tinkered around with pretty much everything and used fresh orange juice instead and I’m so glad all of that worked out. The almonds and semolina give it a unique texture, with a bit of a bite, not in a weird way. It’s still very soft and moist and has the most incredible citrus flavour.

The syrup doesn’t exactly soak all through the cake, but it soaks in enough to give it a moist, beautiful texture and also coats the top and edges in the best way. It couldn’t be easier to make and is absolutely worth it!

I chose to make this as a small loaf but it can be scaled up too. This cake tastes best once it’s cooled completely, and even chilled. I hope you love this!

Orange Semolina Syrup Cake

A moist orange cake with almonds, semolina and a citrusy orange syrup

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 50 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Makes: 6 small slices

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Ingredients

  

For the cake

• 1 orange I prefer Valencia oranges here
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (95 gms; see notes)
• 70 gms butter
• 1 egg (required for binding as the cake is fragile; I'm unsure of egg substitutes)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup ground almonds (30 gms; see notes) (from about 1/4 cup whole almonds)
• 1/3 cup semolina or sooji rawa (55 gms)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (40 gms)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

For the syrup

• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (60 ml) from 1 Valencia orange
• 2 tbsps caster sugar
• 1 tbsp honey

Instructions

• Line a 6x4 inch loaf tin with non-stick baking paper. Preheat the oven to 175 C. (An 8 inch round cake tin will work too and you could double the recipe for a standard 9x5 loaf).
• Using a fine grater (or zester, if you have it), zest the orange into a mixing bowl, making sure you don't grate down to the bitter white pith. Slice the orange in half and squeeze out the juice into a smaller bowl (you'll have about 1/4 cup juice). Set aside.
• Add the butter and sugar to the mixing bowl with the orange zest. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed until light and creamy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat till combined.
• Add the ground almonds and semolina, beating briefly to combine. Then sift in the flour, salt and baking soda. Beat on low speed or stir gently by hand until the flour is incorporated.
• Pour in the orange juice and beat till you have a smooth, fairly thick batter. Transfer to the prepared loaf tin and smoothen the top.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until browned on top (the center will have a small crack) and a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.
• In the last ten minutes of baking time, combine the syrup ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 8 to 10 minutes on low heat, until it thickens. Set aside for a few minutes to let it thicken further.
• Poke holes into the cake (while it's still hot) and pour the slightly cooled syrup all over it, spreading it around as you go. Let the cake cool completely in the tin itself, preferably overnight at room temperature. While it may not soak all the way through, the syrup makes the cake super flavourful and moist so don't skip it!
• When fully cooled and the syrup looks set on the top, slice and dig in! The cake is fragile because of the almonds and semolina which don't have as much structure as using only all-purpose flour, so the center pieces might be a little harder to cut neatly because that's typically where loaf cakes develop a crack. If you're concerned, you can also chill the cake for about 30 minutes before slicing it, it tastes great cold!
• Store at room temperature for 3 to 4 days in an airtight tin, and in the fridge for a week. It can also be frozen for longer. Happy baking!

Notes

*My personal preference here is 1/3 cup sugar, since the syrup on top is also sweet. However, this way the cake is mildly sweetened. If that's not to your taste, go ahead and add a little more sugar to the batter, up to 1/2 cup.

*You could use store-bought almond flour which will result in a finer crumb. If you're using almonds that you grind at home, make sure not to run the blender or food processor for too long or you'll end up with almond butter! Just grind them to a powder (it may not be super fine) and no more.

*I haven't tried any other combination of flours here but if you want to use just all-purpose flour, that should be fine. However, changing the quantities of either the semolina or ground almonds could throw off the texture of the final cake.

*Adapted from Bibby's Kitchen

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