Go Back
+ servings
Semolina Cake with Pistachios and Honey
Print

Semolina Cake with Pistachios and Honey

Course Baked Goods, Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 8 Slices
Calories 558kcal

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 tablespoon butter room temperature
  • 3/4 cup (3.75 ounces) + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour, divided
  • 2/3 cup (4 ounces) semolina
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • pinch of salt
  • 4 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2/3 cup (4.67 ounces) superfine sugar*
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) + 3 tablespoons unsalted pistachios, divided
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
  • cute small flowers washed (optional)

For the syrup:

  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed

Instructions

For the cake:

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 F Degrees. Generously butter and flour (use the 1 tablespoons flour) a 9 inch spring form pan. Set aside.
  • In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix flour, semolina, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, measure 11/2-cups of pistachios and pulse 8-10 times until they are finely ground. Place it in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Place the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer (you could do this with hand mixer as well) with paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 5 minutes. Reduce to low speed and slowly add the vegetable oil.
  • While it is in low speed, add in the flour mixture in three batches and mix until combined, just until the batter comes together. Do not overmix.
  • Fold in the ground pistachios and lemon zest.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using the back of a spoon or a spatula, ensure that the cake is equally distributed throughout the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted in the middle.

For the syrup:

  • In the mean time, make the syrup. In a small saucepan, place the honey, water, and lemon juice. Bring it to a boil, over high heat. Once it is boiled, turn down the heat to medium and let it simmer until it is reduced by half. This takes 15-20 minutes.
  • When the cake is still hot, using a toothpick, poke holes (30-40 holes) on the cake. Using a spoon, drizzle the syrup over the cake making sure that it absorbs it evenly. It is imperative that you do this when it is still hot for the cake to absorb the honey syrup.
  • Allow it to cool completely.
  • In the mean time, roughly chop 3 tablespoons of pistachios.
  • When ready to serve, decorate the top of the cake with pistachios and small flowers, if using.

Notes

* To make superfine sugar for this recipe, I processed 2/3 cup +1 tablespoon granulated sugar in my food processor for 1 minute.

Nutrition

Calories: 558kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 86mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 322mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 48g | Vitamin A: 258IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 3mg