Orange Semolina Cake With Simple Sugar Syrup

A deliciously moist semolina cake flavored with freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest.

This Semolina cake came into being when I entered the Food52 off-roading series. I was supposed to make this olive oil cake with some sort of twist. I was so excited and thought of a brilliant plan to bake it with semolina which turned out to be a total disaster. Though that didn’t work out and the result was not worth reporting back to the network, fresh ideas formed in my head. After a lot of trials and with opinions and suggestions from my in house master chefs this recipe was born!

What is semolina/Rava?

Rava or sooji is the Indian name for semolina. It is a staple in almost all Indian homes. Semolina is nothing but a coarsely ground version of durum wheat. Since I was cooking with semolina, I was curious to find out more. The health line had a lot of useful information on semolina.

Fun fact: Semolina is way healthier than all-purpose flour but not as healthy as whole wheat flour.

And A surprising fact: Semolina is not gluten-free. Somehow concluded it was!

In a nutshell

How to make cake moist and soft?

Today’s recipe can be made without the sugar syrup but this orange flavored sugar syrup enhances the already delicious cake and makes it extra moist and super soft.  So don’t skip the syrup. You will be missing out on the real taste of this delicious cake!

How to make a simple orange sugar syrup for cakes?

For the syrup using a peeler, carefully peel two inches of the orange rind. Make sure you remove the pith otherwise the syrup would turn bitter.

In a saucepan, add equal parts of water and sugar along with the orange peel and cinnamon. Boil on low until the syrup reduces to half. Warm the sugar syrup before pouring it on the cake.

Tips to make the BEST orange cake with semolina/Rava/Sooji

• When using semolina it is easy for lumps to form in the batter. So when you combine the wet and dry ingredients confirm the batter is smooth.
• If in any case, you find there are lumps in the batter, do not panic. Carefully transfer the batter to a blender and blitz the mixture until smooth. Then just to be sure, strain the batter through a strainer.
• After mixing the batter well, let it rest for at least 15 minutes. This helps the semolina to absorb the moisture and become fluffy.

• While making the sugar syrup, make sure the orange peel is completely without the pith.
• Using a fork, poke holes on the cake, before spooning the syrup onto the cake. This helps in the quick absorption of the syrup.
• Pour half the syrup on the cake when the cake is warm and the other half when serving. This helps the cake to soak up the syrup and become super moist.
• If the cake has sunk a bit in the middle, make sure the syrup does not stagnate there. Using a pastry brush gently spread the syrup around until the syrup seeps into the cake.
• The cake can be stored on the counter for up to 2 days. Then it can be kept chilled in an airtight container for up to a week.
• The remaining sugar syrup can be chilled until serving time. If it thickens, warm the syrup on a stovetop with a tablespoon of water and serve.

I love oranges and I love desserts with orange. Try out the best orange cookies, my orange cheesecake and orange flavored pistachio cookies. If you have made this recipe, leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out for you.

Print Recipe

Orange Semolina Cake With Simple Sugar Syrup

(8 votes, average: 3.63 out of 5)

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Serves: 9” round baking pan

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 50 minutes

A deliciously moist semolina cake flavored with freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest.

Ingredients

• For the semolina cake
• 70 grams all-purpose flour
• 240 grams semolina
• ¾ cup vegetable oil, unscented
• 250 grams granulated sugar
• 1 cup milk, lukewarm
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 egg, room temperature
• For the orange sugar syrup
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2-inch orange peel
• 1-inch cinnamon stick

Instructions

For the semolina cake

1

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and sugar until pale and frothy.

2

Add oil, orange juice, zest and milk. Stir well.

3

In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients.

4

Stir in half the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until well combined.

5

Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix the batter well. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter.

6

If you find any lumps, blend the batter in a blender.

7

Strain the batter to be sure there are no lumps.

8

Now let the batter sit for 15 minutes. This helps semolina to soak in the moisture and become fluffy.

9

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170°C (350°F). Line the bottom of a baking pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.

10

Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 50 minutes or until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.

11

Remove the cake from the oven and let it sit for 30 minutes.

12

Later transfer the cake from the baking pan to the serving tray.

For the orange sugar syrup

13

In a saucepan, add in all the ingredients for the syrup and let it boil. keep stirring occasionally.

14

Let the syrup boil until it reduces to half. Remove from heat and let the syrup become warm before pouring it on the cake.

15

Using a fork, poke holes on the cake.

16

Pour half the syrup over the cake and let it seep in.

17

store the other half of the syrup for serving. Remove the cinnamon and orange peel before serving.

Notes

• This cake tastes best when soaked in the syrup overnight. • Semolina cake can be stored on the counter for up to 2 days or chilled for up to a week.