Amygdalopita
An almond and semolina syrup cake soaked in two goes rather than one, because semolina takes syrup more slowly than breadcrumb does.
Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 250 g ground almonds
- 200 g coarse semolina
- 180 g caster sugar
- 150 ml sunflower oil
- 5 eggs, separated
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- zest of 2 lemons
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 60 g flaked almonds
For the syrup
- 350 g sugar
- 450 ml water
- 1 strip lemon peel
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Method
- THE SYRUP GOES ON IN TWO GOES, not one, and that is the difference from the walnut cake on this site. That one is built on dry breadcrumb, which is already baked and drinks syrup almost instantly. Coarse semolina swells far more slowly: poured on all at once, the syrup sits in a pool on top for twenty minutes and then runs down the sides of the tin, and the middle stays dry. Half, wait twenty minutes, then the rest.
- AND IT IS COLD SYRUP ONTO HOT CAKE, as everywhere else here. Made first and left to go completely cold.
- THE SEMOLINA IS COARSE, NOT FINE. Fine semolina gives a dense damp crumb that packs together; coarse stays open and distinct, and the texture of the finished cake is the point of it.
- Syrup: sugar, water and peel boiled 8 minutes, lemon juice in at the end, cooled completely and strained.
- Yolks and sugar whisked 4 minutes until pale.
- Oil added in a slow stream, then the zest and vanilla.
- Almonds, semolina and baking powder folded through. It will be very stiff.
- Whites whipped to firm peaks in a clean bowl. A third beaten in to slacken the mixture, the rest folded in gently in two lots.
- Into a lined tin, levelled, and the flaked almonds scattered over the top.
- Baked at 170C for 40 to 45 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- Straight from the oven, HALF the cold syrup ladled over slowly.
- LEFT 20 MINUTES, then the second half poured over. By then the first lot will have gone in and the surface will take the rest.
- Left 4 hours before cutting. It keeps five days and is better on the second.
Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.
Filed under Greece · All recipes