Semolina Cake with Lemon Orange Syrup

A slice of sponge cake on a white flowery plate.

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Semolina Cake with Lemon Orange Syrup

Semolina Cake with Lemon Orange Syrup and Greek yogurt, a beautifully moist and incredibly flavourful spronge cake that is a celebration of simple ingredients and minimal effort. The cake is is eggless, butter and oil free, with the Greek yogurt being the only source of fat. Inspired by the Greek Samali cake, this semolina cake is a family-friendly dessert that can be enjoyed all year round.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Resting Time1

Total Time1 40

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Greek

Servings: slices

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Daniela Apostol

Ingredients

For the sponge

370 g fine semolina (2 cups)
300 ml full-fat Greek yogurt (1 ¼ cup)
200 g granulated sugar (1 cup)
85 ml orange juice (⅓ cup)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 teaspoon orange extract

For the syrup

375 ml water ( 1 ½ cups)
85 ml orange juice (⅓ cup)
juice from half a large lemon ( or a whole small lemon)
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon orange extract
100 g granulated sugar (½ cup)

Instructions

Start by making the sponge.
In a large mixing bowl, add the semolina, sugar, baking powder and bicarb of soda, and mix well to combine.
Add the yogurt, orange juice and extract, and use a spatula to mix everything into a thick batter.
In a non-stick rectangle tray (mine is 30 x 22 x 5 cm / 12 x 9 x 2 inches) spread the batter in an even layer, and set it aside for at least 1 hour so that the semolina can soak up the moisture from the wet ingredients.
Meanwhile, you can make the syrup.
Add all the ingredients to a pan set over a medium heat, and leave it to simmer until the sugar is dissolved.
Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit) for 30 minutes, or until golden and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and pour over the syrup while it's still hot.
Allow the cake to soak up all the syrup and leave it to cool down completely before refrigerating it for at least 2-3 hours before servings.
Cut the cake into squares or diamond shapes and enjoy.

Video

Notes

It is crucial to pour over the hot syrup while the cake is hot out of the oven, it helps the sponge soak it up nicely, rather than just sitting on the surface. In this way, every crumb gets beautifully moist and flavourful.
I highly recommend refrigerating the cake before serving, the flavours are much more intense when the cake is cold, rather than warm. We served our cake the next day, and it was perfect!
Traditional Greek samali or revani cakes use mastic, which is is an aromatic resin which gives a pine-like taste. I did not have any, but if you do, you can add a very small amount, perhaps a quarter of a teaspoon, as it's quite strong.

Nutrition