Whole Orange Semolina Cake With Rosemary Syrup

Prep: -
Cook: 2hrs 40mins + standing
Servings: 12
Whole Orange Semolina Cake With Rosemary Syrup

It's a stunner with it's rich golden and yellow colours and deep zesty flavours. This Whole Orange Semolina Cake With Rosemary Syrup is an indulgent dessert, especially during winter months!

Ingredients

Method

  1. Place unpeeled oranges in a medium saucepan over high heat, cover with cold water; bring to the boil. Boil, covered, 11/2 hours or until oranges are tender; drain. Cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Grease a deep 22cm (9-inch) round cake pan; line base and side with baking paper.
  3. Trim and discard ends from oranges. Halve oranges; discard seeds. Process orange, including rind, with baking powder until mixture is pulpy. Transfer to a large bowl.
  4. Process eggs and sugar for 5 minutes or until thick and creamy. Stir egg mixture into orange mixture. Fold in semolina, ground almonds and rosemary. Spread mixture into pan.
  5. Bake cake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand cake in pan for 45 minutes before turning, top-side up, onto a cake plate.
  6. Make rosemary syrup.
  7. Spoon hot syrup over warm cake. Serve cake warm or at room temperature.

Rosemary Syrup

  1. Remove rind from 1 orange with a zester, into thin strips.
  2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel a long continuous strip of rind from remaining orange.
  3. Place sugar, the water and juice in a small saucepan over low heat; stir, without boiling, until sugar dissolves.
  4. Add long strip of rind, bring to the boil; boil for 5 minutes or until syrup thickens.
  5. Remove from heat; stir in liqueur, rosemary and thin strips of rind.
TIPS: tips If you don't have a zester, simply peel the rind into wide strips with a vegetable peeler, then cut them into thin strips. You could vary the flavourings in the syrup by adding either a cinnamon stick or a split vanilla bean instead of rosemary.
TECHNIQUES: see ‘lining a round cake pan’, page 276.
DO-AHEAD The cake is best made on day of serving.