Egyptian Semolina Cake

Prep Time: 10-12 minutes

Cooking Time: 45-55 minutes

Serves: 8-10 people

Cuisine:-  Middle Eastern, African, Arabic 

Spice Level:  Sweet

Recipe Level:  Medium

Shelf Life: Up to 12 hours at room temperature, up to 5 days in the Fridge

What you need

• 2 cups fine semolina (cream of wheat)
• ¾  cup unsweetened, desiccated coconut
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 150 g unsalted Butter  ( Melted, kept at room temperature )
• ½ cup (200 g) plain Yogurt
• ½ cup double cream
• ¾ tsp Baking soda
• ¼  tsp salt
• 20-30 almonds or almond flakes (for garnish)

For Syrup:

• 1 cup water
• ¾ cup caster sugar
• 2 tbsp  rose water
• 3 tsp lemon or lime juice
• 4-5 Saffron strands
• 2 cloves of Cardamom

• The syrup has to be at room temperature and the cake should be warm when you pour the syrup over the cake, so you have to prepare the syrup before baking the cake.
• To make the syrup, boil the sugar and the water at medium heat. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
• Then add the lemon juice and remove the scum (if any) that floats to the top.
• Add the rosewater and boil until the syrup thickens a little (if you stir with a spoon, it will coat the back of the spoon and if you touch it, the syrup will feel a little thick and slimy).
• Don’t let the syrup boil for a long time and thicken up too much though, it means less syrup. It will take about 15 minutes to boil the syrup.
• Once almost done, add saffron strands, stir one last time and remove from stove. Keep aside and allow to come to room temperature.  

In the meantime,

• In a large bowl, mix the semolina and the baking soda. Then add the coconut, sugar and salt and mix well.
• Add the melted butter, cream and yogurt and mix well with a spoon until well combined and it comes together. Eventually, the batter will get thick and come together, almost like a dough.
• Lightly butter a medium sized (about 10 inch) non-removable cake pan/pie plate before placing parchment paper (so that the paper doesn’t move) and then lightly butter the sides and the bottom.
• Spoon in the cake batter and even it out on top with a spoon. Allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes. I kept it for over 40 minutes, purely due to the reason I was busy cleaning my Fridge
• Then cut the cake into diamonds or squares (before baking it). Place the blanched almonds or almond flakes in the middle of each diamond/square and gently press them down a little.

• Bake the cake at 175 C (350 F) in a preheated oven, in the middle rack for about 20 minutes first.
• Then take the cake out and gently cut it into diamonds/squares again. If you cut the cake when it is fresh out of the oven, it might crumble. This is why it is good to cut it before it is fully baked
• Place the cake back into the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes until it looks golden and crisp on top. Take the cake out and spread the syrup slowly and evenly on top of the cake.
• Allow the cake to soak up the syrup for a couple of hours or overnight and cool down to room temperature. I only kept it for 2 hours and it was all so perfect, although I must admit it tasted even better the next day
• Once you are satisfied with the time you have spent on soaking and the cake has cooled won enough, just cut the cake again and enjoy!  

Source: http://theveggieindian.com