There’s something magical about the combination of citrus and nuts, and this St Clement’s Semolina Cake captures that magic perfectly.

This vegan St Clement’s semolina 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.

And semolina gives cake a very unique texture. It always reminds me of when Ross in Friends described madelines as “lighter than air”. THAT’S semolina cake too. It’s literal melt in the mouth. Add in vibrant citrus flavours and I don’t mind admitting I made two cakes, one after the other because I ate the first one obscenely fast.

Citrus fruits are also very much in season right now, so what better reason to make the most of them than with a bit of winter baking.

Vegan cake ingredients

Semolina – made from Durum wheat that’s ground into a powder. Normal flour comes from common wheat and typically has a soft, fluffy texture and has undergone several processing steps removing its nutritional benefits. Semolina is pale yellow and rich in nutrients, fibre, and protein.

Ground almonds – adds a lovely, nutty richness.

Oranges and lemons – not just where the name of the cake comes from! We’re using both the zest and juice in this citrus cake for extra zingy flavour.

Vegan butter – we melt the butter for this semolina cake so that it gives a slightly denser, moist texture and a rich buttery flavour. When butter and sugar are creamed together for cakes it creates a lighter, airier cake texture due to air pockets being incorporated.

Vegan yoghurt – this adds a slight tanginess to balance the sweetness. It also enhances the texture making the citrus cake softer and more moist.

Icing sugar – much finer than granulated and caster sugar, icing sugar adds sweetness without altering the crumb structure of the cake.

How to make this easy citrus semolina cake

In a large bowl mix together all the dry cake ingredients – semolina, ground almonds, baking powder and icing sugar.

Grate the zest from the orange and lemon and add to the bowl.

Add the yoghurt, milk and the melted butter then stir everything together really well, making sure there are no ‘pockets’ of dry ingredients not mixed in.

Pour into a prepared  8 inch (20cm) loose bottomed or springform cake tin. I grease the sides with a little margarine then put a disc of parchment in the bottom.

Smooth the top of the cake so it’s flat and even.

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. 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.

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 the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool.

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.

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.

Serve with vegan cream or ice cream, fresh berries or simply on it’s own.

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.

Looking for even more easy vegan cake recipes?  Try these:

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

St Clement’s Curd Cake

Vegan Vanilla Cake

Pear and Almond Cake

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