Almond Semolina Cake Recipes

ORANGE CAKE WITH SEMOLINA AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Combine chopped oranges and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until oranges are soft and excess liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
• Place oranges in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, continuing to beat for 1 more minute.
• Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a separate bowl until pale and thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in finely chopped oranges. Fold in ground almonds, semolina, vanilla extract, and fiori di Sicilia. Stir in 3 spoonfuls of whisked egg white to loosen the batter. Gently fold in remaining egg whites with a spatula or large metal spoon. Pour batter into prepared springform and level the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Check cake after 20 and 30 minutes to see if it is starting to brown too quickly. Cover top lightly with aluminum foil once cake starts to brown.
• Remove from oven and cool in the pan. Remove ring, peel away parchment paper and transfer cake to a serving plate. Drizzle with liqueur and dust with confectioners' sugar.

NAMOURA (SYRUP-SOAKED SEMOLINA CAKE)

Steps:

• In a small saucepan over high heat, boil sugar and 1 cup/240 milliliters of water, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to a simmer, add lemon juice and extract, and stir to combine. Simmer until thickened into a syrup, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter. Place the semolina, melted butter and sugar in a large bowl and stir until well combined; set aside.
• Place the yogurt and baking soda in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Set aside until the mixture has nearly doubled in size, about 10 minutes.
• Pour the yogurt mixture over the semolina mixture and mix well to combine. Transfer to the buttered baking dish and press into an even layer. Using a knife, score the surface of the namoura on the diagonal into 2-inch diamond-shaped pieces. Top each diamond in the center with an almond. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Place baking dish on a wire rack and drizzle the cooled syrup over the top of the hot namoura. Let cool to room temperature before recutting along the scored lines and serving.

ALMOND SEMOLINA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
• Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt together into a medium bowl; stir in semolina flour. Set aside.
• Whisk 1 of the egg whites vigorously in a small bowl until foamy. Transfer 2 teaspoons of egg white to a medium bowl; discard remainder. Stir almonds, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt into egg white. Set almond mixture aside.
• Put butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and the almond paste in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low. Mix in reserved flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of the milk. Continue mixing until no traces of flour or milk remain, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cake batter to a large bowl.
• Fit the electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Put remaining 4 egg whites in a clean mixing bowl; beat on medium high speed until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar; beat until soft peaks form.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold half of egg-white mixture into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
• Transfer the batter to buttered pan. Smooth top with spatula. Bake until cake begins to turn golden but center is still wobbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove cake from oven; scatter reserved almond mixture evenly over top.
• Return cake to oven; bake until topping is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. (Check cake 10 to 15 minutes beforehand; if almond topping is darkening too quickly, cover loosely with foil, and continue to bake.)
• Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Run a thin knife around edges of cake to loosen; remove sides of pan. Using two spatulas, transfer cake to a serving platter or a cake stand. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

BASBOUSA (SEMOLINA AND ALMOND DRIZZLE CAKE)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with the tahini.
• Put all the dry ingredients for the cake into a large mixing bowl and mix to combine. Add the milk, yogurt, and melted butter, then use an electric whisk to beat until it forms a smooth, creamy batter.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then arrange the almonds in a 4 x 4 grid pattern on the cake, so that each slice will have an almond in the center when sliced. Bake in the hot oven for 40 minutes.
• While the cake is cooking, make the syrup by putting all of the ingredients into a saucepan with ½ cup (4 fl. oz. or 120 ml) of water. Let the sugar dissolve over a moderate heat, then turn the heat up and boil until it has a syrupy consistency (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Remove the cake from the oven and, while it's still hot, pour the syrup all over it. Allow the cake to stand in the pan for 20 minutes to absorb the syrup, then slice into 16 squares and serve.

SEMOLINA AND GROUND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• 1. With an electric mixer in a large bowl, whip the cup of butter until soft. Add the confectioners' sugar a little at a time and whip until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and continue whipping for about 5 minutes.
• 2. Combine the semolina, baking powder, almonds, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Slowly add the semolina mixture to the butter and sugar, beating to combine thoroughly.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 12- by 18-inch glass baking pan. In a medium metal bowl, place the egg whites, salt, and lemon juice and whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the meringue into the semolina mixture, working fast to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes.
• 4. About 15 minutes before the samali is finished baking, prepare the syrup: Combine the granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, add the spices, zest, and brandy. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the syrup is viscous, about 10 minutes.
• 5. When the samali is baked, pull it out of the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Score it into 3-inch square pieces with a sharp paring knife. Pour the warm syrup over the hot samali and place back in the oven. Bake until the syrup is absorbed, another 5 to 7 minutes, and remove from the oven. Let cool and serve.