Semolina and orange cake with caramel sauce and crème fraiche Recipe

Semolina and orange cake with caramel sauce and crème fraiche Recipe

  • 300g/10½oz semolina
  • 175g/6oz soft brown sugar
  • 175g/6oz plain flour
  • 40g/1½oz ground almonds
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 1 orange, zest only
  • 75g/2½oz butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing
  • 225ml/8fl oz milk
  • 16 blanched almonds
  • 110g/4oz dark soft brown sugar
  • 110g/4oz butter
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 175ml/6fl oz double cream
  • 200g/7oz crème fraîche
  • 4 sprigs fresh mint
  1. For the semolina cake, preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and grease a 20cm/8in loose-bottomed square baking tin with butter. (If you don’t have a square baking tin, a 23cm/9in round cake tin will also work.)
  2. Mix the semolina, sugar, flour, ground almonds, baking powder and orange zest together in a bowl until well combined.
  3. Gradually stir in the melted butter and milk until you have a smooth batter.
  4. Pour the batter into the greased tin and arrange the almonds on top in four rows.
  5. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the cake is golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
  6. For the caramel sauce, place the sugar, butter and salt in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has melted, then stir in the cream. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer for 3 minutes until thick. Set aside to cool slightly before serving (the sauce can also be served cold).
  7. To serve, serve the cake in slices with the caramel sauce and a dollop of crème fraiche. Garnish with a few mint leaves.