Recipe: light semolina cake with almond and orange
The Suryoye (also known as Assyrians or Arameans) are one of the oldest population groups in the Middle East. In the cookbook Haniyé, Matay de Mayee collected the recipes of his mother, Smuni Turan. In her kitchen, the world’s oldest recorded Suryoye recipes are the common thread. As a result, Haniyé – meaning enjoy your meal in Aramaic – is a unique cookbook filled with special recipes. This light semolina cake is irresistibly delicious!
Matay: “In my mother’s village there were no bakers, let alone pastry chefs. Everything was made at home, bread and pastries alike. Usually bread, of course, but when a sweet smell came from the oven, it was often harise, a light bake made from fine semolina produced from durum wheat, somewhere between cake and sponge cake. Harise is baked in a round tin, then soaked in sugar syrup, cut into cubes and finally sprinkled with flaked almonds. The syrup, which we call atter, is what makes it, of course; combined with the light cake, it is simply irresistible. Atter is also used to make lemonade, usually with stewed fruit, but there are also versions with herbs and even flowers.”
How to make semolina cake with almond and orange
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C.
- In a deep bowl, whisk the eggs, lemon juice, sugar and oil together. Add the yoghurt, semolina and orange zest and whisk everything into a light and airy mixture. Set aside for 20 minutes. Add the baking powder and mix until everything is well combined.
- For the syrup, bring the water, sugar and lemon juice to the boil in a saucepan over low heat. Let it simmer over very low heat for 45 minutes, stirring the syrup regularly until the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the batter into the baking tin, smooth the top and sprinkle with a layer of flaked almonds. Bake the cake in the oven for 30–35 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove the tin from the oven and cut the cake into square or rectangular pieces. Gradually pour the hot sugar syrup over the warm cake. Let the cake cool in the tin for 30 minutes.
Title: Haniyé
Author: Matay de Mayee
Price: €33,99
Publisher: Fontaine Uitgevers
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