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There’s something magical about the combination of citrus and nuts, and this St Clement's Semolina Cake captures that magic perfectly. This vegan cake blends zesty oranges and lemons with the nutty richness of almonds. It’s light, fluffy, moist and flavourful and an ideal dessert for any occasion.

St Clement's Semolina Cake

Prep: 15 mins | Cook: 35 mins | Total: 50 mins | Quantity: 8-10 slices

Ingredients

Cake Ingredients:

  • 230g (1 + 1/4 cups) fine semolina
  • 75 g (3/4 cup) ground almonds
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 115g (3/4 cup) icing sugar
  • 1 orange
  • 1 lemon
  • 250g (1 cup) plain vegan yoghurt
  • 55ml (1/4 cup) plant milk
  • 125g (1/2 cup) vegan butter
  • 20g (1/4 cup) flaked almonds
  • 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar

Equipment:

  • 8 inch (20 cm) loose bottomed or springform cake tin

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 160 Fan / 180 C / 375 F / Gas 5
  2. Grease the sides and put a disc of parchment into the base of an 8 inch (20 cm) loose bottomed or springform cake tin
  3. In a large bowl mix together all the dry cake ingredients - semolina, ground almonds, baking powder and icing sugar
  4. Grate the zest from the orange and lemon and add to the bowl
  5. Add the yoghurt and the melted butter then stir everything together really well, making sure there are no 'pockets' of dry ingredients not mixed in
  6. Pour into the prepared tin then smooth the top of the cake so that it's flat and even
  7. Sprinkle over the flaked almonds and gently press them into the batter. Bake the cake for 25 minutes then turn the tin and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the cake is set and golden
  8. You can test if the cake is cooked by inserting a cocktail stick in the centre, if it comes out clean with no bits of raw cake sticking to it, the cake is done. Otherwise return to the oven for a few minutes then repeat the process
  9. While the cake is cooking juice the orange and lemon and put into a small saucepan with the caster sugar. Bring to the boil the stir until then sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool
  10. Once the cake is cooked drizzle or brush the syrup all over the top of the cake as soon as possible after it comes out of the oven
  11. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for around 30 minutes before removing from the tin onto a wire rack to cool completely. You can leave the cake on the base until it's completely cooled
  12. Serve with vegan cream or ice cream, fresh berries or simply on it's own

Notes

  • Store the completely cooled cake in an airtight container for up to 1 week
  • This cake also doesn't suffer from being frozen.  Cut into portions then freeze wrapped in foil or in freezer-proof containers. Defrost at room temperature

Recipe by The Cook & Him at https://thecookandhim.com/recipes/st-clements-semolina-cake/