Soft, luscious and bursting with orange flavour, this Greek Orange Semolina Cake is an absolute treat. Finish it with Greek yoghurt and a delicious orange syrup for a luxurious tea time cake.
I just adore this Greek Orange Semolina Cake, with its sunny citrus flavour (please tell me I’m not the only person who describes citrus as ‘sunny’) and luxuriously soft and moist texture, this cake is a must try.
I’ve made this semolina cake a number of times now and it turns out beautifully every time. The orange flavour, from orange juice, zest and a sweet orange syrup is undeniable and absolutely addictive.
Other recipes you might like
– Mini Flourless Ginger Orange Cake
– Flourless lemon cake
– Baklava Frangipane Tart
– Vanilla Panna Cotta with Orange Syrup
What is semolina flour and what is semolina made from?
Semolina flour is a flour ground from durum wheat, as opposed to the ‘soft’ wheat used to make regular milled flours like plain and all-purpose.
Semolina flour can be ‘course’ or ‘fine’ – you will need fine semolina for this recipe.
Is semolina flour gluten free?
No. Semolina flour is still made from a type of wheat and contains gluten.
Why use semolina flour in a cake?
Semolina flour is more course than regular white milled wheat flours, and in this Greek Orange Semolina Cake it results in a chewier texture and also gives a slight nutty flavour.
Is there a substitute for semolina flour in baking?
You can swap the semolina flour for standard plain or all-purpose flour in most cases but it will alter the texture and flavour slightly.
How to make semolina cake
I use a stand mixer but you could do it with a handheld beater or by hand if you have the upper arm strength I don’t for creaming butter and sugar.
- Start by creaming together butter and sugar until lightened and fluffy.
- Next, add the eggs one at a time and beating well after each one. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl regularly too.
- In one bowl mix the dry ingredients and in the other mix the orange juice, zest and vanilla. Now add these to the mixture in 5 additions, alternating between each – dry, wet, dry, wet, dry.
Don’t be worried if the batter looks split at any point – that’s perfectly fine and will not affect the final cake. There are a few things at play here being eggs and sugar reacting and then the acid and oils in the juice and zest.
- Spread the thick batter out into a prepared 8 inch spring form tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.
For the orange syrup
- This sweet orange syrup is a simple case of adding orange juice and sugar to a saucepan. Let the sugar dissolve over low heat
- Then, let it come to a simmer for a minute or two until it reduces by half.
Substitutions
- Orange: Swap out the orange for lemon instead or a combination of both for a delicious citrus cake
- Plain flour: You can swap out the semolina flour for plain flour, however it will have a slightly different flavour and texture.
- You could also swap the plain flour for almond meal (flour) to give it an almond flavour and denser texture.
- Orange syrup: swap the orange syrup for a little honey instead.
- Lemon Semolina Cake: with thanks to reader Dianne for her feedback, this cake can also be turned into a Lemon Semolina Cake by simply substituting the orange for lemon. For that matter, try any citrus and it will work out lovely.
Tips for best results
- Make sure to let the syrup cool before adding it to the cake or it may just make it soggy (but even the soggy bits taste glorious)
- If the syrup is too thick (this may happen if you cooked it a little too long) no problem. Just add a little water and mix it through. You may need to do this over heat to incorporate it properly.
- Use a fork to poke holes in the cake – this will allow the syrup to seep down here and there all over the cake.
- If the cake has a little dip in the middle, make sure not to let the syrup pool there for too long. Use a pastry brush or even just a spoon to spread it over the whole top of the cake.
- Don’t swap the yoghurt for buttercream – you may be tempted if you aren’t a fan of yoghurt but you’d be better off serving it without. The yoghurt adds a gorgeous tanginess that balances the sweetness of the cake and syrup.
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Pinky promise, you will love this Greek Orange Semolina Cake recipe. It’s easy to make and with just yoghurt for topping it’s also fairly quick in cake land
This cake is perfect for both afternoon tea and dessert. It’s rich and luscious, a slight soft denseness if that’s a thing. Hard to describe but supremely easy to eat, you need to try this asap.
Other recipes you might like
– Mini Flourless Ginger Orange Cake
– Flourless lemon cake
– Baklava Frangipane Tart
– Vanilla Panna Cotta with Orange Syrup
Greek Orange Semolina Cake with Orange Syrup
Equipment
- A stand mixer or hand held beater
Ingredients
For the cake
- 160 g fine semolina flour (1 cup / 5.6oz)
- 130 g plain (all-purp) flour (1 cup / 4.5oz)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 100 ml orange juice
- Zest 2 medium oranges, finely grated
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 226 g unsalted butter, softened (2 stick / 1 cup)
- 250 g white granulated sugar (1 1/4 cups / 8.8oz)
- 3 large eggs, room temp
For the syrup
- 100 ml orange juice
- 100 g white granulated sugar (1/2 cup / 3.5oz)
For the topping
- 3/4 cup natural Greek yoghurt
- Handful of crushed pistachios
Instructions
FOR THE ORANGE SEMOLINA CAKE
- Preheat oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Grease and line an 8 inch spring form tin with baking paper.
- Place the semolina flour, plain flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and whisk to combine.
- Combine the orange juice, zest and vanilla and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as required.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each to combine and scrape down the bowl after each addition.
- On the lowest speed or with a spatula, gently fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 the juice mixture and repeat until all added and only just combined.
- Tip the thick batter into your prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out with just a couple of crumbs. After about 5 minutes remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack.
FOR THE ORANGE SYRUP
- Pour the orange juice and sugar into small saucepan over low heat and mix gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to a low simmer until reduced by half.
TO FINISH
- Once the cake and syrup have cooled, prick the top of the cake with fork here and there. Pour over about half of the syrup (reserve the rest for serving). If the syrup pools in the centre use a pastry brush or spoon to spread it out.
- Spread the yoghurt over the top and sprinkle over the pistachios. Serve with remaining syrup.
Notes
- For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
- If the batter looks split at any point, don't worry - it will bake up fine.
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Hi ,
My name is also Maria .
Can’t wait to try your zesty semolina cake,
but I’m not sure about how you make the syrup, you say to combine the water and
Sugar and reduce by half , I didn’t see on the
Ingredients chart how much water to add…?
Just a little confused, is it water or
Orange juice ?
Thank you ?
Thank you for letting me know Maria. It should say orange juice (not water). I’ve updated the recipe card.
Hi! I made the cake but am serving it tomorrow. Should I still pour over half the syrup or wait till tomorrow??
Thanks the cake came out perfect!!
Excellent! We’ve eaten this cake for leftovers many times and it’s still really good even 2 days later. You can add some of the syrup now, reserve some for serving and add the yoghurt last thing. Hope everyone loves it ?
Hi, I am not sure how much butter to use. Your recipe says 226g or half a cup. But 226g equals 1 cup! So is it 1 cup or half a cup?
Apologies for that error, Jason. It’s 226g / 1 cup. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll update the recipe card.
Hi I’m making your cake for this upcoming Christmas here in New Zealand adding some cardam on. I would like to know if I can freeze the cake ahead of time. So many things to cook it would be a bonus if the cake freezes well for up to a week? Thanks marie
Hi there 🙂 I haven’t tested this one specifically but most cake freezes fine. Make sure to double or even triple wrap it in plastic wrap to protect it from frost. To thaw, I would unwrap it, sit it on a cake plate and cover with a new piece of plastic wrap, then thaw overnight in the fridge. Please drop back to let me know how it goes. Happy baking and have a wonderful Christmas 🙂
Lord! If for nothing else, that syrup is scrumptious! I, however, made it with lemon (as I did not have oranges in the house) and let me tell you – to die for! The cake is wonderful and with the syrup soaked into it – fantastic! I have been looking for recipes for semolina flour and will definitely be making this over and over again. Thank you for this recipe
Such a brilliant idea. I’ll make a note in the post that it works for lemon too. I’m so happy you loved it 🙂