Today we’re going on a trip.
Usually I tell you what’s going on in my neck of the woods and around it, but today we’re going to Middle Eastern. Do you wanna know why? Of course you do!
My friend Faith Gorsky from An Edible Mosaic just had her first cookbook released: An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair. I’m excited to be participating in her virtual book launch party and sharing a recipe from the book! She’s also having an amazing giveaway priced at $1300!!!!
The book has over 100 Middle Eastern recipes, with a focus mainly on dishes from the Levant, but also a few recipes from other areas of the Middle East. Faith spent six months living in the Middle East, where she fell in love with the culture and cuisine. Recipes in her book are authentic Middle Eastern (taught to Faith mostly by her mother-in-law, Sahar), but streamlined just a bit for the way we cook today, with unique ingredients demystified and cooking techniques anyone can follow. If you didn’t grow up eating Middle Eastern food, it can be a difficult art to master; Faith understands that, and explains complicated dishes in an approachable, easy-to-follow way. The book is available to order on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
I was so happy when Faith asked me to bake something from her book.
I grew up in a country with Middle Eastern influences so many of the dishes found there I’m somehow familiar with.
For example this semolina coconut cake. I had no idea it’s also called Harissa until I saw the title and read the entire recipe in Faith’s cookbook. The Romanian version is still a semolina cake but kinda different. Maybe one day I’ll call my mom to tell me the recipe.
I adapted Faith recipe just a wee bit. I’ve only made one batch of syrup because I knew it will be way too sweet (even for my sweet tooth, ironic, right?) and instead of baking it in a round pan I used an 11X7 rectangle pan (even tho I had a hard time scoring the diamonds)
Semolina flour gives this cake a yellow-ish color. Once you start mixing the ingredients you’ll notice the batter is somehow lumpy, I kinda panicked for a second or two but then, as you let it sit in the pan the semolina absorbs the milk and it starts to resemble more of a cake, with a texture similar with the cornbread. But sweet.
You can go ahead and make two batches of syrup if you prefer, but I think using just one batch was sweet enough.
Faith’s advice is to brush the sides of the pan with tahini instead of lining with parchment paper but I didn’t have any so I used parchment paper.
[mpprecipe-recipe:378]
Sending love your way,
Roxana
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Mmm, this looks SO good – I am definitely going to make this one!
I like this trip!!! Beautiful semolina cake, everything looks so delicious, warm and inviting;-)
I’d love to pick up a few of those cake bars and pop them in my mouth all at once. 🙂 We also make this cake in Macedonia and it’s called “Ravanija”.. my dad’s all time favorite dessert. So wonderful to see all of you guys doing a recipe from her cookbook!
I am going to have to make this cake. It looks so tasty Roxana!
This cake looks so awesome … got to pin for later 🙂
Oh, Roxana!!! What a gorgeous treat! LOVE the flavors she has in the recipe, and your photo presentation is just beautiful. So glad she had you bake something!
You have made this dish look delicious, Roxana. I love Middle Eastern food and this book looks very interesting.
I love this recipe. Coconut is a huge love of mine so this is right up my alley. I need to get this cookbook.
Beautiful cake, what a perfect way to celebrate the launch of Faith’s cookbook!
I think I’m in love with this cake from Faith’s cookbook – and you made it look beautifully delicious, Roxana!
I am absolutely thrilled to have you participating in my virtual book launch party, Roxana! I am honored, my friend.
Your cake and photos are absolutely gorgeous!
I can never say no to anything that involves coconut. This cake is beautiful, Roxana!
I’d be a hog and double the syrup 🙂
Faith’s book is on my wish list!
Yum! This looks wonderful 🙂
What I totally missed this one.. and coconut cake is one of my favs. It looks so moist and delicious. Beautiful cookbook too!
Hi, this looks so delicious! Can you please tell me what semolina is? Is it cream of wheat? Thank you!
Hi Jess,
As far as I know semolina is somehow coarser and have a yellowish color while cream of wheat is finer and white-ish.
I buy mine from a middle-eastern grocery store.
Roxana
Hi Jess, Semolina is actually different from Cream of Wheat. Semolina is ground wheat middlings of durum wheat; Cream of Wheat is made from farina, which is made from the germ and endosperm of the grain, then milled and sifted. Roxana is right – in my experience semolina is usually coarser and a bit more yellow in color than farina (Cream of Wheat). Cream of Wheat may work in this cake (I haven’t tested it to know for sure though); however, the result will be different – a cake made with farina will have less of a rustic texture and yellow hue. (By rustic texture, I mean that baked goods made with semolina have a coarser crumb, similar to baked goods with cornmeal.) I hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy the cake if you give it a try!
Gonna try this recipe.. Family fav. Cake.
I thought that Semolina is a part of the durum wheat, which does NOT make it gluten-free, where I found it categorized. Please correct me if I am wrong!
Hi Ally,
I did some research and you’re right, semolina does contain gluten.
Thanks of bringing it to my attention.
Roxana
This cake is truly divine so moist and delicous ! i just made it earlier today and its basically all been eaten! I had no butter so replaced it with 1/4 + 2 TBLS of olive oil which worked out perfectly.
Thanks for the awesome recipe, definetely a keeper!
Haha, I made this recipe successfully last friday. One funny thing: I never label my jars because I thought I could identify all ingredients. BUT I accidentally used half white corn meal and half semolina for the cake. For the record, the smell was like corn bread but tasted JUST like semolina cake! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you – Tried & tested – most divine. Suggest readers to do the same.
very nice