This quick & easy semolina cake recipe with orange & mint drizzle is an impressive bake. Full of flavour and deliciously moist, this is the easiest flourless cake recipe you could wish for.
I’m going to be honest, when I first baked this orange semolina cake, I wasn’t sure it had worked. That’s perhaps because I didn’t know what to expect from a completely flourless cake recipe.
Though initally stunned by it’s relatively flat and unassuming appearance, I was soon won over once I sliced into it.
Slim, though it is, this semolina cake recipe manages to product a bake that is bursting with flavour, texture and deliciousness. It is:
- moist
- with a tender crumb
- citrussy
- naturally colourful
- slightly chewy
And it has that wonderfully zesty & crusty orange drizzle topping. Sigh.
Is this a Flourless Cake Recipe?
This orange semolina cake is made using a completely flourless cake recipe. So it’s perfect for when you run out of flour but are desperate to bake.
Instead of regular flour, a mix of semolina and ground almonds are used in the cake batter.
It also uses just one egg, so it really is a great recipe to have to hand when the pantry baking shelf is looking somewhat depleted.
What is Semolina?
Semolina is made from durum wheat. It is available in both fine and coarse grind and can usually be found in the baking aisle of supermarkets.
The most common uses for semolina is in the making of pasta and couscous since it is very high in gluten and keeps its shape extremely well during cooking.
But semolina can be used to bake cakes and breads too with great success.
For this flourless cake recipe ensure that you select true durum wheat semolina.
Just occasionally, you might stumble across rice semolina or corn semolina. These are not truly semolina, and should be not be used for this semolina cake recipe.
They have been given the semolina name tag since they are coarse-grained like semolina but cannot be relied upon to act the same way and produce a good bake using this recipe.
Other Ingredients
This is a cake of very humble origin. Ingredients are simple and, if I dare admit it, rather unglamorous:
- semolina
- sugar
- ground almonds
- raising agents
- egg
- yoghurt
- milk
- orange
These ingredients combine to create a cake that is delicately sweet. The drizzle topping really makes this orange semolina cake though, adding an extra burst of fresh citrus, sweetness and crunch.
I’ve added a boost to the orange drizzle by including a little lemon juice, but it can be made entirely with orange if preferred.
It can also be adapted to become a lemon cake by substituting all of the orange juice and zest in the recipe for lemon instead.
Since I have herbs growing in my garden, I included a gentle hint of mint in the drizzle topping. Feel free to replace with rosemary or thyme, or leave out the herb altogether.
How to Bake this Cake
This semolina cake recipe might just be the easiest bake I’ve ever created. It can be in the oven in less than 15 minutes and requires just a couple of bowls and a balloon whisk for mixing:
Step 1: Put the dry ingredients into a medium bowl and stir with a balloon whisk
Step 2: In a small bowl mix together the yoghurt, egg and milk, then pour into the dry ingredients & mix until smooth
Step 3: Whisk in orange juice & zest
Step 4: Next whisk in the melted butter, pour into a prepared tin & bake in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes until the top is dark golden in colour
Step 5: As the cake approaches the end of its cooking time, mix the orange and lemon juice together and blitz the mint leaves in, using a stick blender, until they are finely broken down. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, add the sugar to the juice, stirring only briefly
Step 6: Poke holes all over the cake using a cocktail stick and spoon the drizzle topping evenly over the cake and leave to cool completely in the baking tin
How to Serve this Cake
This orange semolina cake is wonderfully moist, thanks to the zesty drizzle. So it’s great served just as it is alongside a cup of tea.
However, to turn it into a swoon-worthy dessert, try serving with Chantilly cream with some grated orange zest folded in. Absolute bliss.
More Flourless Cake Recipes to try:
If you suddenly find yourself in desperate need to bake but running short on flour, keep in mind these flourless cake recipes too:
- 5 Ingredient Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Gluten-free Pineapple & Polenta Cake
- Flourless Carrot Cake Cupcakes
More of my Recipes Featuring Orange:
- Cranberry & orange waffles
- Chocolate orange granola
- Orange caramel linzer cookies
- Spiced orange & rum cheesecake
If you loved this recipe please give it a rating below. Don’t forget to share your creations with me on Instagram. Use #littlesugarsnaps and tag me @jane_littlesugarsnaps.
Semolina Cake with Orange & Mint Drizzle
Ingredients
Cake Ingredients
- 100 g Semolina coarse
- 100 g Caster sugar
- 50 g Ground almonds (almond meal)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda (baking soda)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 Egg large, free-range
- 120 g Greek yoghurt
- 90 ml Milk Whole (full fat)
- 2 tbsp Orange zest
- 1 tbsp Orange juice
- 110 g Butter Melted
Orange Drizzle Topping Ingredients
- 45 ml Orange juice
- 15 ml Lemon juice
- 8 Mint leaves
- 100 g Granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gm 4 and grease and line an 8 inch springform cake tin
- Put the dry ingredients (semolina, sugar, almond, salt, baking powder and baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir with a balloon whisk
- In a small bowl mix together the yoghurt, egg and milk, then pour into the dry ingredients
- Mix until smooth, using the balloon whisk
- Next, whisk in the orange juice & zest
- Finally, add the melted butter and mix again
- Pour into the prepared tin & bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is dark golden in colour and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean
- When the cake is almost cooked, start preparing the drizzle topping by mixing the orange and lemon juice together and blitzing the mint leaves in, using a stick blender until they are finely broken down
- As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, add the sugar to the juice, stiring only briefly
- Poke holes all over the cake using a cocktail stick and spoon the drizzle topping evenly over the cake
- Leave the cake to cool completely in the baking tin, then carefully release the cake tin and remove the baking parchment
- Store for up to 3 days, well wrapped, at room temeperature
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