Semolina Almond Torta Food

ALMOND SEMOLINA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter a 9-inch springform pan; set aside.
• Sift all-purpose flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt together into a medium bowl; stir in semolina flour. Set aside.
• Whisk 1 of the egg whites vigorously in a small bowl until foamy. Transfer 2 teaspoons of egg white to a medium bowl; discard remainder. Stir almonds, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt into egg white. Set almond mixture aside.
• Put butter, 1 cup granulated sugar, and the almond paste in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add egg yolks and vanilla; mix until well blended, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce speed to low. Mix in reserved flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 batches of the milk. Continue mixing until no traces of flour or milk remain, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cake batter to a large bowl.
• Fit the electric mixer with the whisk attachment. Put remaining 4 egg whites in a clean mixing bowl; beat on medium high speed until foamy. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar; beat until soft peaks form.
• Using a rubber spatula, fold half of egg-white mixture into batter. Gently fold in remaining egg-white mixture.
• Transfer the batter to buttered pan. Smooth top with spatula. Bake until cake begins to turn golden but center is still wobbly, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove cake from oven; scatter reserved almond mixture evenly over top.
• Return cake to oven; bake until topping is golden brown and a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. (Check cake 10 to 15 minutes beforehand; if almond topping is darkening too quickly, cover loosely with foil, and continue to bake.)
• Let cake cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Run a thin knife around edges of cake to loosen; remove sides of pan. Using two spatulas, transfer cake to a serving platter or a cake stand. Cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

MOROCCAN SEMOLINA AND ALMOND COOKIES

Steps:

• Position racks to divide the oven into thirds, and heat it to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk together semolina, almond flour, baking powder and salt.
• Put sugar in bowl of a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl in which you can use a hand mixer. Finely grate lemon zest over sugar, then rub them together with your fingertips until sugar is moist and fragrant. Add eggs and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. With mixer running, pour oil down side of the bowl and beat for another 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla and orange blossom water, if using. Turn off mixer, add half the dry ingredients and mix them in on low speed, then add the rest, mixing only until dry ingredients disappear into the dough, which will be thick.
• Sift some confectioners' sugar into a small bowl. For each cookie, spoon out a level tablespoon of dough, roll it between your palms to form a ball and dredge in sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheets, then use your thumb to push down the center of each cookie, pressing firmly enough to make an indentation and to cause the edges to crack.
• Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back after 8 minutes, or until cookies are ever so lightly colored: They will be golden on the bottom, puffed, dramatically cracked and just firm to the touch. Carefully lift the cookies off sheets and onto racks. Cookies will keep for about 4 days in a covered container at room temperature.

BASBOUSA: ALMOND COCONUT SEMOLINA CAKE RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the butter in a small bowl and melt in the microwave. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine together the sugar and yogurt. Now add in the semolina, baking powder and milk. Finally stir in the melted butter, and let the mixture sit briefly so that the butter is absorbed.
• Transfer the semolina mixture into a lightly greased 9"-round cake pan or baking dish. Bake in the 350 degrees F-heated oven for about 40-45 minutes. If necessary, broil ever so briefly so that the top of the basbousa gains color. Watch carefully. When ready, remove from oven.
• While the cake is baking, prepare the cinnamon simple syrup. In a small sauce pan or pot, combine the sugar, water and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Turn heat to low and let cook for a few minutes until the syrup thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool completely, then remove the cinnamon stick.
• As soon as the basbousa is removed from the oven, pour the cool syrup on the hot basbousa. Let cool completely; syrup must be absorbed into the cake. For best result, let it sit for 1 hour before serving.
• When ready to serve, top the cake with the coconut chips and the coconut and shaved almonds. Slice and enjoy!

ORANGE CAKE WITH SEMOLINA AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Combine chopped oranges and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until oranges are soft and excess liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes. Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
• Place oranges in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until finely chopped.
• Beat egg whites in a glass, metal, or ceramic bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually add 1/2 cup sugar, continuing to beat for 1 more minute.
• Beat egg yolks and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a separate bowl until pale and thick, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in finely chopped oranges. Fold in ground almonds, semolina, vanilla extract, and fiori di Sicilia. Stir in 3 spoonfuls of whisked egg white to loosen the batter. Gently fold in remaining egg whites with a spatula or large metal spoon. Pour batter into prepared springform and level the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Check cake after 20 and 30 minutes to see if it is starting to brown too quickly. Cover top lightly with aluminum foil once cake starts to brown.
• Remove from oven and cool in the pan. Remove ring, peel away parchment paper and transfer cake to a serving plate. Drizzle with liqueur and dust with confectioners' sugar.

SEMOLINA-LEMON SYRUP CAKES

Steps:

• Make the cakes:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk almond flour, semolina flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to combine.
• Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With motor running, gradually add eggs and beat until glossy, about 1 minute. Add dry ingredients and lemon juice and beat to combine, about 1 minute.
• Divide batter among muffin cups and bake until cakes are golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-35 minutes.
• Make the syrup:
• Make the syrup while the cakes are baking. Bring lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• As soon as cakes come out of the oven, brush or spoon syrup liberally over top (you may not need all of it). Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cakes cool completely before turning out.
• Do Ahead
• Cakes can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

SEMOLINA AND GROUND ALMOND CAKE

Steps:

• 1. With an electric mixer in a large bowl, whip the cup of butter until soft. Add the confectioners' sugar a little at a time and whip until fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and continue whipping for about 5 minutes.
• 2. Combine the semolina, baking powder, almonds, and lemon zest in a small bowl. Slowly add the semolina mixture to the butter and sugar, beating to combine thoroughly.
• 3. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 12- by 18-inch glass baking pan. In a medium metal bowl, place the egg whites, salt, and lemon juice and whip with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Fold the meringue into the semolina mixture, working fast to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until set, 35 to 40 minutes.
• 4. About 15 minutes before the samali is finished baking, prepare the syrup: Combine the granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. As soon as the sugar dissolves, add the spices, zest, and brandy. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the syrup is viscous, about 10 minutes.
• 5. When the samali is baked, pull it out of the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F. Score it into 3-inch square pieces with a sharp paring knife. Pour the warm syrup over the hot samali and place back in the oven. Bake until the syrup is absorbed, another 5 to 7 minutes, and remove from the oven. Let cool and serve.