Soft, moist, and bursting with bright citrus flavor, this Orange Semolina Almond Cake is a fabulously lush tea-time treat!
I've had semolina cake on my mind for ages now. I did make it once a few years ago...nothing worth talking about! It was too dry and crumbly, not sweet enough. The good part was that I knew exactly how I wanted to fix it. It took me only 5 years to get to it, and boy, am I pleased with the result!
This Orange Semolina Almond Cake is just how I thought it should be. Soft crumb, beautifully fragrant with orange blossom water, orange zest and juice. A tad nutty texture thanks to almond meal and semolina. And it rose really well, without egg! Yep, no egg in the batter. I subbed it with yogurt which added to the moisture and a slight tang that's undoubtedly irresistible.
If you can't get your hands on orange blossom water, don't worry, just add some extra orange zest. I really like to use freshly squeezed orange juice here. It's a tad bit of an effort, but it's really worth it. The bottled juices tend to be very sweet and have an artificial flavor, so I like to stay away from them.
And let's give you another option..if oranges aren't available, use lemon juice and zest instead! So long as you get the fresh bright citrus zing, you are good to go!
How To Make Orange Semolina Almond Cake
Making this one-bowl cake is as easy as ABC! Just measure out the dry ingredients in a bowl, add all the wet ingredients, and stir until thick and lump-free. Once baked, make a delicious orange honey syrup that gets poured over the warm cake.
Let it soak for a bit and let all the flavors marry. Cut into fat slices and serve with a cuppa.
And that gorgeous syrup? If you have any leftovers, serve them with the cake or use them on your pancakes, toast, or oatmeal, your tastebuds will thank you for this!
For added pizzazz, top the cake with some caramelized oranges. It's absolutely optional though. I have given the recipe below, just in case you want to give it a try. But do sprinkle toasted almonds on top for a wonderful nutty crunch.
Half the joy of cooking is sharing it with others. That’s why I’m always eager to hear from you. So go right ahead & drop a comment or reach out on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, or Facebook. I hope you love this orange semolina almond cake as much as we do!
📖 Recipe
Orange Semolina Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup Semolina /Sooji
- 1/2 cup Almond Meal or Almond flour
- 1/4 cup Wholewheat flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Fresh orange zest
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 cup Yogurt You can use Greek yogurt or homemade yogurt that's been drained.
- 1/3 cup Vegetable oil
- Juice of 1 large Orange About 1/3 cup
- 1 tsp Orange Blossom Water
Orange Honey Syrup
- Juice of 1 large Orange
- 2-3 tbsp Honey
Caramelized Oranges
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1 Orange, cut into slices, about 1/8" thick
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F. Grease a 6" cake tin well.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the dry ingredients - semolina, almond meal, wholewheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and orange zest. Give it all a good whisk to ensure there are no lumps.
- Add in the yogurt, orange blossom water, oil, and orange juice. Stir into the dry ingredients. Whisk until a thick, smooth batter is formed.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Orange Honey Syrup
- While the cake is baking, pour orange juice in a small saucepan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes till it's reduced by a third. Take it off the heat and stir in honey. Taste and adjust for taste. Let this syrup cool completely.
- Once the cake is baked, let it cool for 20 minutes. Then poke holes with a skewer. Spoon or brush the syrup all over the warm cake. Make sure the entire surface is covered with the syrup. Let the cake soak in the syrup.
- Once the cake is completely cool, top with toasted almonds and caramelized oranges. Serve with leftover syrup. Enjoy!
Caramelized Oranges
- Bring water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan. Let it cook until all the sugar is dissolved.
- Add the orange slices to the pan and let them simmer for 20-15 minutes till the rind is almost translucent and the syrup is really thick. Make sure you turn the slices over a couple of times.
- Take the caramelized slices out and place them on a rack. Cool them completely. At this point, you can allow them to dry for a few hours to harden them or use straight away.
Nutrition
Dahlia says
I prepared the cake with the following adjustments: Replaced oil with butter, added 1 egg and reduced the (Greek) yogurt to 3/4 cup, 1 tsp each Almond extract + Vanilla extract (no orange blossom water available). Absolutely superb and bursting with flavor. The orange adds just the right about of citrus tones to the cake. Thank you!
Samar says
Hi , can I double the measurements. I need to bake an 8 inch cake . Thank you
Natasha Minocha says
Hello, yes you can. Though I would go with doing 1.5 times as opposed to doubling for an 8" cake. Hope this helps. Happy baking!
Srishti Agarwal says
Hi. I really want to try this recipe but sadly I don't have measuring cups. I only have a weighing scale. I don't really rely on the measurements that google provides.. can you please share the gram measurements of this recipe? Looking forward to hearing from you and trying this recipe asap. Thank you 😊
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Srishti, thank you for your interest in this recipe. I have now updated the recipe to include the metric measurements. Hope this will help. Looking forward to seeing your version soon!
Gini says
Your cake was so delicious I,have made it 2x in one month! Thank you for labouring over this for 5 years. We get to eat this awesomeness thanks to you.
Natasha Minocha says
Oh, thank you so much for your kind words, Gini. I'm so happy to hear this...you made my day!! xoxo 🙂
Monika says
I hate to ask about substitutions, so I apologize in advance.
Instead of using:
1 cup ( heaped) Semolina /Sooji
1/2 cup Almond Meal or Ground Almonds
Is it possible to use 1 1/2 semolina?
Thanks!
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Monika, so sorry for the late response! Yes, you can use semolina all the way in this cake. Hope this helps.Thank you for following along. Really appreciate it 🙂
Elaine Hahn says
Hi
Like idea of this cake but if wanting to reduce sugar is it going to be moist enough without pouring sugar syrup on it
Thank you
Elaine
Natasha Minocha says
Hi Elaine, Glad you like the idea of this cake. Yes, you can do without the syrup on top. The cake should be fine without it as well. Hope this helps. 🙂