Don’t be fooled by the humble appearance of this cake: It’s luxurious. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a glass of moscato.
Semolina Cake with Honey and Pistachio
Recipe from “Homemade,” by Clodagh McKenna (Kyle Books). Recipe adapted for Denver’s altitude (leavening reduced). If you’re above 7,500 feet, adjust leavening down a bit more.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
4 large eggs
2/3 cup superfine sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Generous 3/4cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup semolina
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups pistachios, finely ground
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons pistachios, chopped
FOR THE SYRUP
Generous 3/4cup honey
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the eggs and sugar in a large bowl, and beat together with a hand mixer on high speed for about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed and slowly pour in the vegetable oil.
Add the flour, semolina, baking powder and salt, and mix well until the batter comes together.
Fold in the ground pistachios and lemon zest.
Pour the cake batter into a greased 10-inch springform pan and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the syrup by stirring the honey, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and placing over high heat. Leave the syrup to boil and reduce by half, about 10 minutes.
Use a skewer to poke deep holes in the cake while it is still hot. Drizzle half the syrup evenly over the top, allowing it to be absorbed, then pour over the remaining syrup. Let cool completely, then sprinkle with the chopped pistachios.
Make This, Too
This pie is vegan, but non-vegans won’t complain. Their mouths will be full.
Funky Monkey Pie
From “Peas and Thank You,” by Sarah Matheny (Harlequin Nonfiction). Makes 1 pie.
Ingredients
1 organic store-bought graham cracker crust
1 package (12 ounces) silken tofu
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
2/3 cup organic powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons non-dairy or organic milk (if needed)
2 bananas, sliced
Directions
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Bake crust 5 to 7 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
Combine tofu, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla in a blender until smooth. Add milk, if necessary, to get a smoother consistency.
Layer sliced bananas in the bottom of the cooled pie crust. Pour peanut butter pudding on top. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or until pie is set.
