Super quick and easy to make, this Orange Semolina Cake is the perfect combination of light, moist and crunchy! Topped with an Orange Syrup, it is a great dairy-free orange cake to serve for dessert this winter.
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Why we love this recipe
I simply love this cake. It is such an easy and quick one to prepare but with a delicious depth of flavour and a fun mix of moist and crunchy for its texture.
Semolina is simply an awesome ingredient to add texture to baked goods and works perfectly with citrus fruits, just like in my mini Blood Orange Semolina Cakes, or even veggies like this Semolina Carrot Cake!
A cake to snack on, to have with your afternoon tea or to serve for dessert after a dinner party - it's up to you! But trust me, this orange semolina cake will always be a winner!
Ingredients
To make this orange cake with semolina flour, you will only need a few ingredients. All things you should basically already have in your kitchen, except maybe the semolina if you don't often use this ingredients.
You will find a few different types of semolina, based on the grade of semolina (fine, coarse and everything in between!).
Although you could use coarse semolina (it will make the cake super crunchy), I recommend using a fine semolina - sometimes also called semolina flour - for a nicer crumb texture.
You will need (scroll down to recipe card for all quantities):
- Eggs: medium size, at room temperature
- Caster Sugar: or Fine White Granulated Sugar
- Canola Oil: or your your choice of neutral flavoured cooking oil
- Fresh Orange: both the zest and the juice
- Lemon Juice: just a touch for flavour balancing
- Fine Semolina: or Semolina Flour
- Almond Meal: gives a delicious flavour and fluffy texture to the cake
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: the classic raising agent combo for a nice and airy cake!
- Optional: one sliced Orange for toppings.
How to make this Almond Semolina Cake
When I said this Dairy-Free Orange Cake was quick and easy, I really meant it! No need to boil full oranges or use the blender - all you will need is a mixing bowl, a whisk and a small pot.
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To make this cake, you will need to:
- Whisk the Eggs and Sugar in a bowl until frothy - about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the Oil, Lemon Juice, Orange Juice and Zest.
- Mix in the dry ingredients: Fine Semolina, Almond Meal, Baking Powder and Baking Soda.
- Pour the semolina cake batter in a lined 8'' / 20 cm springform pan. You can grease the edges of the pan as well if you are worried it will stick to the pan.
- Optional: thinly slice an orange and place the slices over the cake batter for decoration
Didn't I say it was a super easy and quick cake to make...!?
Orange Syrup Topping
Although you could just make the orange semolina cake on its own (and it would still be delish!), I decided to make a Lemon and Orange Syrup to pour over the cake.
It is a great way to add a burst of flavour to the dessert and make the cake even more moist and delicious!
The syrup is made from 3 ingredients only:
- Lemon Juice
- Orange Juice
- Brown Sugar
All you will need to do is mix the three ingredients in a small pot, bring it to a boil then reduce the heat and leave it to simmer for 10, 15 minutes. The liquid will thicken and turn into a deliciously sweet and tangy, thick syrup.
You can either pour the syrup over the warm cake when it comes out of the oven or pour it directly on individual slices when the cake is served.
Note that if you decide to add the syrup to the warm cake, you will need to wait for the cake to cool down completely before removing it from its pan as it will become a bit soggy and fragile.
Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately no - semolina comes from durum wheat and is not gluten-free. Although this cake does not use "classic" flour but semolina flour and almond meal, it is not a gluten-free cake!
Yes, this cake is Dairy-Free! There is no butter, milk or dairy product used to make this cake. Instead, I used Canola Oil and Orange Juice to create a really nice and moist cake.
This cake will be deliciously moist and crunchy when it comes out of the oven thanks to the almond meal, but the semolina will tend to dry out the cake as days pass.
I would highly recommend to eat this cake within 1 or 2 days. Although it will still be fine to eat for a few days after that, it will start to loose its nice texture after two days.
To store the syrup cake, place it in an air-tight container at room temperature. It does not need to be kept in the fridge (which will make it harder).
Unfortunately, I do not recommend freezing this cake. It is a rather crumbly one and it will probably fall apart when thawed.
Made this recipe?
Let us know if you liked it by leaving a comment below, and tag us on Instagram @a.baking.journey with a photo of your creation!
Recipe
Orange Semolina Cake with Orange Syrup
Ingredients
- 3 Eggs
- 1/4 cup (50gr) Caster Sugar, (*)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Canola Oil, or neutral cooking oil
- 1 Orange, Zest and Juice, about 1/3 cup - 80ml of Orange Juice
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 cup (180gr) Fine Semolina , or Semolina Flour
- 1 cup (100gr) Almond Meal or Almond Flour
- 1 1/2 teasp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 teasp. Baking Soda
- 1 Orange, sliced for decoration
Orange Syrup
- 2 Oranges, juiced
- 1/2 Lemon, juiced
- 3 tbsp (30 gr) Brown Sugar
Instructions
Orange Semolina Cake
- Preheat the oven on 180'C/350'F. Grease a Round Springform Pan (see note 1) or line it with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the Eggs and Caster Sugar until frothy. Add the Canola Oil, Orange Juice, Orange Zest and Lemon Juice.
- Whisk in the Semolina, Almond Meal, Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Pour the batter in the Springform Pan.
- Thinly slice 1 Orange and place the slices over the cake batter.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the tip of a knife comes out clean.
Orange Syrup
- Place the Orange Juice, Lemon Juice and Brown Sugar in a small pot on low to medium heat. Leave to reduce until thick, stirring occasionally.
To serve
- You can either pour the Syrup over the Full Cake or on Individual Slices (see note 2)
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Notes
- I used a 8inch / 20cm Springform Pan for this cake.
- If you decide to pour the syrup over the warm cake after taking it out of the oven, make sure to wait until the cake has fully cooled to remove it from the pan.
Bethany says
We have a nut allergy in our family. Is there anything I can use to substitute for the almond meal?
Sylvie says
Plain flour 😊
Lina says
Is there a reason for the syrup didn’t thicken up?
Sylvie says
If it’s not cooked for long enough, yes 🙂
Jamila says
Im in love with the recipe i just added Orange Blossome in the cake mix and with the syrup i also added sliced almonds on the top and it was perfect 🫰🏻🍊🧡
I’ll definitely do it again
Sylvie says
Great to hear!
Elizabeth Billeisen says
I love reading recipes from across the pond ( I assume) and wish I could hear you talking. Can cake flour be substituted for the other ones?
A Baking Journey says
Thanks Elizabeth 🙂 Do you mean using cake flour for this particular recipe?
Anita says
Turned perfect. Apologies i did not take photos. The taste and the smell of oranges was excellent.
A Baking Journey says
Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Anita!
A says
Made it today for afternoon tea. Subs Canola to coconut oil and I also used coconut sugar for healthier choice. Thanks for the yummy recipe👍
A Baking Journey says
Great to hear it worked will with those substitutions 🙂
Paromita says
Made the cake today & everyone loved it. Such a simple yet delicious recipe. Thanks for sharing.
A Baking Journey says
So happy to hear that, glad you all enjoyed it Paromita!
Tash says
I’m very glad everyone is having great experiences with this cake, and they are right. It looks so moist and delicious in the pictures.
As an honest reviewer, I’d have to say I do not recommend this recipe at all. The cake came out extremely dry and crumbly. The syrup could not save it and wasn’t enough to get away from the dryness of the cake. I would suggest to spare the expensive of the almond meal and find a different orange semolina cake to bake. I’m really sorry to say, understand if you choose not to have this posted. Hope you have a good day.
A Baking Journey says
Hi Tash, thanks for your honest feedback, I'm sorry to hear you did not have a good experience with this recipe. This cake is definitely more on the "crumbly" side because of the semolina, but I've never had a problem with it being so dry before. Have you made any changes or substitution to the ingredients? Have a good day 🙂
Penney Do says
Finally, a semolina cake recipe with no yogurt! ( bc I don’t have any readily available) I made mostly as is, but did add the zest of orange and the lemon and swapped olive oil for avocado oil for a more neutral taste. It’s almost cornbready in texture and slightly sweet with citrus notes. Did not have extra oranges so couldn’t make the syrup which I think would have been a great addition. I might have opted to boost sugar to 1/3 cup to compensate.
A Baking Journey says
Thanks for the feedback Penney, I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe! It is great to know you can make those substitutions and additions too. Yes, the syrup is where most of the sweetness would have come from, so feel free to add more sugar to the cake if you don't add it. Cheers!