The following tasty, fragrant and moist cake, is a version of THIS cake, a recipe for which I’ve posted here five years ago. In the version I have here, I’ve decided to substitute the milk syrup with citrus-saffron one. To enhance these flavors, I’ve also added saffron to the batter, and topped the cake with orange and blood orange slices towards the end of baking.
The saffron and citrus gave the cake a beautiful, deep yellow color, and amazing aroma. The cake was a great success and disappeared quickly. Try it and enjoy.
Notes:
* The original recipe calls for only 15 minutes of baking, as the cake was baked in a larger pan, therefore needed less baking time. For baking the cake shown here in larger pan, follow the pan size and baking time from that recipe.
* If you can’t find blood orange, substitute with red grapefruit, or any other citrus fruit.
Makes: 16 squares
Prep time for the cake: 20 minutes
Baking time: 30 minutes
Prep time for the syrup: 5 minutes
Cooking time for the syrup: 5 minutes
Chilling time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
For the cake:
8-10 saffron threads
1 Tbs hot water
2 cups semolina
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 XL eggs
2 Tbs oil
1 medium orange
2 small blood oranges (see notes)
For the syrup:
2 cup water
1 cup fresh orange juice
Zest from ½ orange
½ cup sugar
6-8 saffron threads
¼ cup honey (preferably orange blossom)
1. The cake: preheat the oven to 340F (170C). Brush the bottom of an 8×8” (20×20 cm) square pan with a thin layer of oil. Place the saffron threads in a small bowl and add the hot water. Let steep for 2-3 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the cake, except for the oranges. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 25 minutes.
3. While the cake is baking, use a small sharp knife to remove the rind of the oranges, including the white part. Cut each orange in half and slice them.
4. Take the cake out of the oven and arrange the slices on top. Place back in the oven and bake for 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack, to cool to room temperature.
5. The syrup: combine all the ingredients in a medium size pot and bring to an almost boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and add the honey. Mix well and pour the syrup over the cake, through a fine strainer. Cover the cake with plastic wrap and bring to room temperature.
6. Place the covered pan in the fridge for at least 2 hours before serving. The cake will keep, covered in the fridge, for 3-4 days.
My mouth is watering! That looks amazing!
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Thank you Diane, I’m glad you liked the cake. It came out even better than I expected. I hope to make it again soon, as blood orange season is very short. 🙂
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Wow this is definitely freaking yummy… I m ready to dig into this yumminess 😉💯
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Thank you Jyo, I’m glad you liked the cake. It was so good! 🙂
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Awesome ! I just love the texture, color & flavor and it is so tempting that I would love to grab one !!
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Thank you Megala, I’m glad you liked the cake. It was so delicious and fragrant. I’m planing on making it again soon, before blood orange season is over. 🙂
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Gorgeous cake, Ronit! I love the colors and flavors, especially saffron in it – brilliant!
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Thank you Dolly, I’m glad you liked the cake. The saffron added such wonderful color and aroma. It’s such an amazing spice. 🙂
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It is, and I should use it more, and thank you for broadening my horizons. 😻
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Yes, I too need to use it more, It’s such a great spice. 🙂
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Oh my goodness, that looks divine!!
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Thank you Kathryn! The cake turned out so tasty and the aroma was amazing. Will definitely make it again soon. 🙂
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Wow – what a beautiful yet simple presentation. Thanks!
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Thank you Rosemarie, I’m glad you liked the cake, It is indeed very simple to make – and very tasty! 🙂
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I feel like I can smell the cake from here it looks delicious. I will definitely have to try this very soon.
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Thank you, I”m glad you liked the recipe. The cake was amazingly fragrant and tasty. I hope you’ll enjoy it. I’ll be happy to hear your comments. 🙂
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I have a few threads of saffron in a cork-topped (tiny) jar – somewhere. How long are they usable? These guys have to be 15 years old . . . at least! I was always afraid to use them because they were so expensive. Well, that wasn’t so smart now, was it? ;->
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lol If kept in a dark place in an air tight jar, it can keep for a few years, but I doubt it can keep for 15 years… I guess it’s time to open the jar and see if there’s anything left in there… Be brave! 🙂
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It is a glass jar . . . so can see into it, but its location = ????? I remember having it when we were fulltime in our motorhome, but that was <2007! And . . . we’ve moved into two different homes since then!
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Love cake so much! This looks great!
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Thank you Kendall, I’m glad you liked the cake, It was delicious. 🙂
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You are welcome!
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This semolina cake looks and sounds good. I like the blood orange. That’s a lot of eggs.
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Thank you Joanne, I’m glad you liked the cake. The cake hardly has any fat in it, so four eggs is not too much… 🙂
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So pretty Ronit. Great way to make use of the fruits. I can’t say I have ever baked any goods with saffron before but perhaps next time!
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Thank you Rini, I’m glad you liked the cake,
I usually use saffron for savory dishes, but I’ve seen a few desserts that are flavored with saffron, so thought it would be interesting to try it, and it was!
The fruits on top added so much. I plan on making the cake with other fruits as well, once summer fruits will be available. 🙂
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What an interesting cake! It sounds like it would be beautifully moist. I’ve never used saffron in any dessert, but the results seem to speak for themselves.
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Thank you Mollie, I’m glad you liked the recipe. This is the first time I’ve used saffron in a cake and it definitely isn’t going to be the last. It added such wonderful aroma and color, and it was the perfect match for the oranges. Highly recommend. 🙂
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I love the combination of orange and saffron in your cake.Gives a Mediterranean touch. Thanks for sharing Ronit👌
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Thank you Ana, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The cake was delicious. 🙂
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Just loved it 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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I will never tire of a citrus dessert – looks delicious. Interesting addition of saffron which I happen to have a small tin of 🙂
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Thank you Judi, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I too am never tiered of citrus desserts, and the saffron added so much. Highly recommended. 🙂
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Look and sounds really lovely! 😍😋
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Thank you Ursula! 🙂
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Loved the recipe and the choice of ingredients. I am a big fan of semolina based cakes for its texture after baking, pretty soft and melt in mouth.
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Thank you Vidya, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Glad to find another semolina cakes fan. 🙂
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http://www.facebook.com/MyOfficialDiary/posts/650181635373088
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Thank you Miranda for the link. 🙂
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Ronit, this is such a pretty cake! I love saffron, but have only used it in savory dishes. I have to try this!
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Thank you Debbie, I’m glad you liked the cake. I too usually use saffron in savory dishes, but after this successful try, I will definitely use it more in desserts. I hope you’ll enjoy it too. 🙂
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The colors and vibrancy of the cake jumped right out at me. I felt a need to reach out to the screen and see if it was available? 🙂 Beautiful!
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Thank you Loretta, for such a great compliment! The cake disappeared very quickly and I will no doubt make it again, with other fruits as well. 🙂
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Gosh this looks pretty! I adore citrus cakes of any kind and I imagine the combination of saffron, honey and orange would be amazing.
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked the cake. The combination of citrus, saffron and honey was wonderful. Highly recommended. 🙂
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Gorgeous cake!
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Thank you Antonia. 🙂
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Wow This looks so good – I can only imagine how delicious the cake must be with the combination of orange and saffron! And it looks gorgeous too! I love the texture of the semolina cake too.
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Thank you Indu, I’m glad you liked the recipe. This combination of flavors and textures was wonderful. I will no doubt make it again soon. 🙂
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Beautiful Cake!
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Thank you Susan. 🙂
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Love the beautiful color of your cake. 🙂
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Thank you Karen.. Saffron gave such beautiful color and scent to the cake. Highly recommended! 🙂
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What a fantastic colour! I can almost smell the gorgeous fragrance!
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Thank you Marcellina, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Saffron added such wonderful aroma and color to the cake. Highly recommended. 🙂
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Wow, you have wonderful recipes of cakes on your blog and this one here is another wonderful creation, love the orange, saffron and the color in it!
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Thank you Nisha, for your kind words. This combination of flavors was a winner. I highly recommend it. 🙂
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Very lovely combination of flavours. Looks wonderful
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Thank you Ruchi, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The cake was delicious. 🙂
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Indeed…
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Wonderful.
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Thank you! 🙂
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I must try this!
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Glad to know. Hope you’ll enjoy the cake. I’ll be happy to read your comments. 🙂
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Is semolina and semolina flour same? I saw in stores semolina looks off white color and a bit granular in texture. So is this different from Semolina flour?
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They are not the same. The semolina I’ve used here is coarser and indeed more granular in texture, while semolina flour is finer and used mostly for making pasta. Hope this helps. 🙂
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Yes, Thanks for the clarification
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Looks so moist and delicious. Well done!
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked the recipe. It was indeed delicious. 🙂
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Thank you! 🙂
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