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The crumb structure in Semolina Spice Cake resembles tiny interlaced flowers. Zoom into the image and see if you can find a few cakey flower heads. The center of the these crumbs looks like a circle of air—just like the flowers on the dessert plate.
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Semolina cake soaked in sweet syrup tastes divine, but an equally delicious and less sugary alternative exists. A pastry base that accommodates complementary spice mixtures, in combination with flavor extracts and citrus zest, gets the job done. Want to know a secret? You don't have to be a professional pastry chef to master baking with flavor.
The building blocks for the structure of a healthy and tasty semolina cake are: semolina flour, coconut sugar, lowfat yogurt, eggs, all-purpose flour, vegetable oil, baking soda, baking powder and sea salt. Extracts, citrus zest and warm spice mixtures shape flavor. This is where you can be fearlessly creative and try something new.
The more you bake the more you understand the character of ingredients separately and in combination. This builds confidence and an unquantifiable aspect—a baker's personal essence. Have you ever tasted a cookie baked by two different people using the same recipe and noticed they were similar yet distinct? You can taste the je ne sais quoi.
Baking with flavor happens when you immerse all of your senses in the process. Focus on what you see, smell, touch, hear and taste along the way. Semolina Spice Cake is delicious and inspiring to make. Be sure to share the recipe with friends and family so they can put their own spin on a healthy cake that quickly disappears after it's made.
Semolina Spice Cake
Recipe by Michelle Krell Kydd
Serves nine people
Ingredients
- 1 cup semolina flour
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1½ cup of plain 1% fat yogurt (nonfat is fine)
- 1 medium organic lemon (zest only)
- ½ cup neutral vegetable with a high smoke point (avocado oil or canola)
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon plus one teaspoon Hashems Ka’ak Spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Prep an 8x8 non-stick baking pan with vegetable oil and set aside.
- Combine the lemon zest and yogurt in a bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Measure and combine semolina flour, all-purpose flour, Ka’ak Spice, baking soda and sea salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix everything together using a silicone spatula.
- Beat eggs and vanilla in a medium sized mixing bowl using a fork. Add coconut sugar and combine until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Add vegetable oil and lemon infused yogurt to the egg mixture and incorporate using a silicone spatula.
- Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth (no lumps).
- Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Test for doneness by using a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan (it's done when the toothpick comes out clean).
- Allow the cake to cool for 30 minutes.
- Slice into nine pieces using two vertical and two horizontal cuts.
- Serve with a side of maple syrup sweetened yogurt (the same yogurt you used to make the cake) or a pair of Medjool dates and fresh walnuts.
- Store the cake in a sealed container in the refrigerator. This cake also freezes well.
Ka’ak Spice Mix contains anise, cloves, cinnamon, mahlab, sesame seeds and black caraway. Grind the spice mix in a coffee grinder to ensure uniform texture and release flavor if the blend appears slightly coarse or has whole seeds in it.
The anise in Ka’ak Spice Mix has a sweet aftertaste so this spice mix is ideal for flavoring semolina cake that doesn't require the addition of sugar syrup. Extra vanilla extract in the recipe balances the anise so the overall effect is cakey. (The combination of anise, vanilla and lemon smells like bakeries I remember from childhood).
Oil-based semolina cakes are moist and have a spongier quality of density than cakes made with unbleached all-purpose flour (you can see it in the structure and separation of the crumb). The way semolina cake melts in the mouth increases retronasal olfaction (the intersection of smell and taste that produces flavor at the back of the mouth). Pour a tablespoon of warm maple syrup over a freshly baked slice and take a bite. Notice the mouthfeel (texture) and how this shapes flavor perception.
Feel free to try other warm spice mixtures (e.g. gingerbread, pumpkin pie, apple pie) and experimenting with complementary citrus flavors and extracts. Floral waters like rosewater and orange blossom water can be used like extracts. The possibilities are endless.
Glass Petal Smoke developed a cookie recipe using Hashems Ka'ak Spice. You can find it here.
