Oh Mamma

Oh mamma, this cake is delicious! So delicious, actually, that we've been eating it all week for breakfast but that can be our little secret. Though when making this cake we weren't just thinking about ourselves. We've been taste testing, preparing, and now perfecting a recipe to dazzle your amazing mothers with this Mother's Day. And we've given you a whole week to make it, you're welcome!

Quickly, before the recipe we'd like to introduce you to a new ingredient this week, semolina flour. Semolina flour is first of all, beautiful, as you can see from the picture above. It is made by coarsely grinding a variety of wheat known as durum wheat, a hard wheat with a high protein content. The durum wheat is milled to remove the bran and germ leaving the yellow endosperm granules known as semolina which are then ground into flour. Semolina flour is traditionally used for pasta making because of it's high content of wheat protein, or gluten. The properties of gluten allow pasta to be molded, stretched, and cooked without falling apart. And we all love us some pasta don't we? But we've taken a different approach this week and made a cake from this beautiful flour. Not only unique and impressive, semolina flour provides a lovely color and dense, crumbly texture much different from cakes made with traditional cake flours. So now that we've convinced you to make this cake for your mamma this year, let's get to the recipe.

Pistachio Semolina Cake
PREP TIME: 15 mins
TOTAL TIME: 50 mins
Servings: 10-12

Ingredients
​Cake
2 cups semolina flour
1 cup cane sugar
1 1/2 cups raw unsalted shelled pistachios (makes 3/4 cup powdered with 1/4 cup reserved for the top of the cake)
10 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup + 2 Tbsp plain milk kefir (We prefer Siggi's kefir)
1/3 cup thick vanilla yogurt; Greek or Icelandic (We prefer Siggi's  4% milk fat)
​1 tsp baking powder

Syrup
4 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
2 Tbsp light clover honey
1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly butter a 9x13" pan and set aside.

In a small bowl melt butter in the microwave and set aside. Using mortar and pestle grind pistachios into a fine powder similar to the texture of coarse sand. Note if you do not have a mortar and pestle, place nuts in a sealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin until desired texture. In a large mixing bowl combine the kefir, yogurt, and sugar. Stir the semolina flour, 1/2 cup ground pistachios, and baking powder into the yogurt mixture. Finally, stir in the melted butter and mix until just combined. Avoid over mixing the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan and cook in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Once the cake is fully cooked turn the oven to broil and move the cake to a higher rack for 3-5 minutes so that the top becomes a golden brown (pictured above). Though watch carefully the entire time you are broiling to avoid burning the top of the cake.

While the cake is baking, prepare the orange syrup. Combine orange juice, honey, and sea salt and mix well. Once the cake comes out of the oven, use a toothpick to carefully poke holes (making sure to reach the bottom of the pan) every one inch across the surface of the cake. The purpose of this is to help the cake absorb the syrup. While the cake is still warm, evenly pour the orange syrup over the top of the cake. Sprinkle the outside edges of the cake with the reserved 1/4 cup powdered pistachios. Serve and enjoy!

Now doesn't this fancy tea and cake celebration look like every childhood tea party dream? Well it is! This cake is dense, crumbly, savory, and sweet all at the same time. And lends itself well to any toppings or decor (we chose edible flowers) that you know your mother will love. And we are sending all of our love to you mamma superheroes out there, this one is for you.

Happy mother's day,
Jess and Cecelia