Semolina Coconut cake

As Sundays go, ours is not the most exciting, but not the worst either. Eddie is feeling better, and we even did a foray into town to do a quick grocery shopping. We also visited Waterstones to get a booster pack of Unbroken Bonds for Eddie.
In the late afternoon we had tea with cake. My husband is watching What/If on Netflix and complaining about how bad it is. Why do you keep watching it then?

I've recently baked an apple semolina cake, and still had plenty of semolina left in the packet. As my guys were wandering in and out of the kitchen earlier today, looking for something sweet for tea, I said I'd bake a cake, but that they'd have to wait for an hour.

Semolina Orange cake
Ingredients:
100g dry semolina
zest and juice of 1 big orange
3 medium eggs
40g dessicated coconut
120g caster sugar
110g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
90ml mild olive oil
ground vanilla
for icing: 3 heaped tbsp of icing sugar mixed with orange juice
Midget gems for decoration (optional)

First mix the semolina with orange zest and juice  in a mixing bowl.
Beat in the eggs, coconut and sugar, and combine well. Sift in the flour, baking powder, add oil, mix well.
Grind a bit of vanilla if you have a vanilla pod grinder (or add a teaspoon of vanilla essence).

Oil the cake tin with the oil spray of your choice. I like to use the avocado oil spray, as it has a neutral taste.
Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and place the tin in the oven preheated to 180C.
Bake for 35+ minutes. Check readiness with a wooden toothpick, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

You could also do a light orange icing drizzle over the top, just mix 3 heaped tbsp of icing sugar with enough orange juice to make a runny icing. Decorate with sweets of your choice.

I used Bravura Foods Free From Fellows Vegan Midget Gems from the latest Degustabox as a decoration for this cake. Any other midget gems or chewy sweets would work.
These sweets are made without sugar, gluten, gelatine and dairy, and thus are vegan friendly. They are also egg free, soy free, GMO free, nut free and free from artificial flavours and colours.
The vegan aspect of these sweets is of no importance to us as a family, as we are not vegans.
They taste very much like the original midget gems, if I remember correctly, as I haven't bought them recently. My sons both liked the vegan midget gems.

How is your Sunday going? Are you having a relaxing day or enjoying outdoors?

Apple semolina cake

By Monday the boiled fruit cake I baked last Friday was a distant memory. To cheer up my guys after school, I baked a simple semolina cake. I haven't baked it for over a year, if not longer, so had to buy a box of semolina (Whitworth's).

Semolina or manka (aka mannaya krupa) in all guises and disguises is a staple ingredient of many Russian dishes, from a semolina porridge for children (standard in nurseries and primary schools, and typically rather awful) to dumplings for stews and soups, from coating to cutlets to all kinds to cakes and bakes.

If you like random facts about world cuisine, you might have heard of the Guriev kasha, which is a dessert made from semolina, with layers of creamy milk skins, walnuts, vanilla, candied fruit and apricot sauce. It's named after Count Guriev, who was the Minister of finance in the early 19C.
The story tells that Guriev has first tasted this dish at some Mayor's house, loved it so much that he bought the chef (a serf) and his family. The chef's name - Zakhar Kuz'min - was forgotten, while the dessert became known as Guriev's kasha (see V.Kovalev, N.Mogil'nyi, Russkaya Kukhnya, 1990).

There are hundreds of semolina cake (or mannik) recipes on the Russian sites and food forums, each cook has their own "secret" ingredient. The recipe below is very much what we'd cook in the Soviet times (minus the apple rings).

Apple semolina cake
Ingredients:
200g semolina
200ml kefir (or milk mixed with a couple of tbsp of soured cream or Greek yogurt)
3 medium eggs
150g caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon
200g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
150g butter, melted
60g apple rings, chopped (or raisins, or a grated carrot)

First mix the semolina with kefir (or milk) in a mixing bowl and leave it for half an hour.
Beat in the eggs and sugar, and mix well. Add the lemon zest, sift in the flour (leaving 1tsp to dust the apple pieces), baking powder, and melted butter, mix well.
Slightly dust the chopped apple rings with flour and mix into the cake batter. It will be quite fluffy and thick.
Oil the cake tin with the oil spray of your choice. I like to use the avocado oil spray, as it has a neutral taste, but plain butter will do (that would be more authentic actually).
Scoop the cake batter into the cake tin and place the tin in the oven preheated to 180C.
Bake for 40+ minutes. Check readiness with a wooden toothpick, if it comes out clean, the cake is ready.
Eat warm or cold, slightly dusted with icing sugar.
You could also do a light lemon icing drizzle over the top.

It's a tasty cake, with a fluffy, slightly grainy texture. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

As mentioned above, you could add raisins instead of apples, or grate a carrot. Or leave it plain, without any fruit or veg.

This cake will keep well for a few days, if stored in a tin.

It's a piece of cake! (Cake Ring/My Kitchen range from Lakeland review)

Having a Lakeland shop in town is a "dangerous" business for my pocket, I am forever tempted to pop in and buy some new kitchen goodies. Just the other day My Kitchen range was on offer, and as my cake springform tins are very dated, I bought a couple of cake tins.

Cake Ring from My Kitchen range (25cm dia/10") has fluted sides and a thick anti-wrap base.

Image credit: Lakeland

 I didn't read the reviews online on the Lakeland site before I made my purchase, and glad I didn't, as they would have put me off.
I wanted to bake my semolina carrot cake in the ring shape, and I have to say I had no problems whatsoever with the cake coming out perfectly ring-shaped.
It was very easy to use, and I am pleased with the results.

The heat is distributed evenly in the cake ring. Cleaning was easy as well, I only had to wipe it clean with a moist tea towel.

The tin was slightly too deep for my cake, but next time I will adjust the quantities or use it for another bigger cake.

Semolina carrot cake

Today Eddie and I were baking a Russian semolina cake, which is known as Mannik (manna means semolina, and I jokingly name this cake a Semolinnik). There are many variations of the cake. It can be plain or banana-flavoured. Today I have chosen to bake a carrot-flavoured semolina cake. This is a lovely way of adding vegetables to your child's diet, and this cake tastes great.

If you love light crumbly cakes without lots of cream, then this is a perfect recipe.

Ingredients:

1 standard mug of semolina (or 150g)

300 g soured cream

1 mug of granulated sugar (or 150g)

1 mug of self-raising flour (or 150g)

2 medium eggs

1 medium carrot, grated

1 orange

1/2 tsp of cinnamon (optional)

For the icing:

2 tbsp icing sugar

2 tbsp+ orange juice

1. Mix the semolina with the soured cream in a deep mixing bowl and leave for an hour.

2. Add two eggs, flour, sugar, grated carrot and the grated zest of one orange. You might also add cinnamon.

3. Pour the mixture into a cake springform and bake at 180C for 40-45 minutes until golden. Use the wooden skewer to check if the cake is ready.

4. Once the cake is ready, take it out of the oven, and open the springform to take it out. While still warm, add the icing on the top (mix the orange juice with the icing sugar).

This is our entry to the Appliances Online Cooking with Kids competition (link removed as expired). You can read all about it on the Red Ted Art blog.

He certainly enjoyed eating it.

I am also adding this recipe to the Tea Time Treats on the wonderful blog Lavender and Lovage. Its creator Karen is hosting this month's challenge. Kate from What Kate Baked will be hosting the next month's challenge, so keep your eyes open.