Almond Semolina Cake
4 Comments
And I mean really old-fashioned. Because Bruce found this recipe in a cookbook originally printed in the 1880s. He had to adapt it a bit--especially the amounts (anyone for "two pennies and a half of semolina flour"?)--but this light, fantastically-moist cake is an incredibly puddling-like affair, pretty straightforward, but rich and satisfying. Best of all, there's breakfast involved. Twice. You'll see.
First off, whir up 3/4 cup whole almonds and 3/4 cup sugar in a food processor until it's about like coarse sand. The original recipe called for blanched almonds, but he used whole almonds with their skins on to give the cake a little brown color. I guess in the old days, people liked things white. Pale. Pasty.
Which could explain why my grandmother, raised on a farm as she was, insisted that I ride around in the backseat of her car under an open umbrella. Have I told you this? Indeed. A paisley umbrella. With a plastic diamond top knot. No lie. She said she didn't want the sun beating in on me. (And you wonder where I get it.)
After you've got the almond sand ready to go, heat 4 cups (1 quart) milk, 1 teaspoon dried lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan over medium heat until simmering.
Why dried lemon zest? Because fresh can curdle the milk. Look for the dried stuff in the spice aisle of the supermarket--or from online purveyors like Penzey's.
By the way, Bruce used fat-free milk--and the cake turned out great. It'll just be richer with low-fat or even whole milk. Just don't use half-and-half or cream. (And I swear on my grandmother's umbrella that that'll be the one and only time you'll ever see me write such a sentence.)
Once the milk is simmering, whisk in 3/4 cup durum wheat semolina flour (not cornmeal semolina) in a thin, fine stream. Honestly: thin, fine. A little at a time prevents lumps. Not that you'll ever prevent them all. There will be a few small ones throughout. But they'll dissolve as the cake bakes. Just no big gobs, please. Take your time. This is old-fashioned.
Now the hard part: reduce the heat to very low and continue whisking--constantly--for 8 minutes as the mixture bubbles a bit. Whisk, whisk, whisk. I took over and did part of it for Bruce. Then he went back to it. It's a real arm workout. Way harder than typing.
Eventually, the mixture will thicken to a rich porridge. And there's the first breakfast bit. If you want to, you could whisk semolina into milk just like this and have the best cream of wheat you've ever eaten: smooth and decadent, like velvet, or butter, or buttery velvet. No almond sand needed. Just add a little maple syrup and you'll be on your way.
But to continue with the cake: whisk in the ground almond sand and continue whisking over the heat for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. Olive oil gives the cake a fruity, bright finish. However, I'm sure you could substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter for a flavor more in line with more modern cakes.
Set the pan aside and cool to lukewarm, about 1 hour. It can form a skin, so you might consider whisking it every ten minutes or so to prevent that.
Once the mixture is lukewarm, beat in 4 large eggs. It's tough. The semolina has gotten thick. But break it up with a fork, then whisk in those eggs.
Pour the whole thing into an oiled (or greased if you've used butter), 10-inch springform pan and bake in a preheated 350F oven until browned and puffed, about 55 minutes. It should be just barely set, still a little jiggly at the center. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then unmold and dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
And the next morning, it morphs into a terrific breakfast: sweet, creamy, like a bowl of cooked cereal, only in pie form. See: dessert once--and breakfast two ways. I ask you: what could be better?
Reader Comments (4)
This sounds delicious. Any thoughts on whether or not I could use the ground almonds already in my cupboard rather than purchasing new and breaking them down?
NS: Don't see why not. Just give them a good smell to make sure they haven't gone twangy, as nuts will over time. And then just mix them with the sugar. Seems like an easy plan to me.
M.
you are hilarious! paisley umbrella in the car, haha. was anybody shocked when you brought bruce home?
how do i get around the dried zest, cause there's no way i'm ordering it just for this. toss it the sand? use extract?
btw, made your streamlined hollandaise this morning. never going back to double boiler. thanks!
Here's how I'd get around the problem of the dried lemon zest. Turn it into a ginger almond cake and use a teaspoon or two of minced peeled fresh ginger.
M.