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    Home » Recipes » Cakes

    Blood Orange and Semolina Cakes

    Published: Jan 28, 2021 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    These blood orange and semolina cakes are a perfect celebration of the citrus season. Super moist, light, and soft sponge, topped with slice of juicy blood orange drenched in sweet and sticky syrup. Each individual cake is super fragrant, zesty and full of citrus flavour!

    side super close up at two mini cakes topped with blood orange slices and drizzled with syrup

    What is the best baking tin to use for this recipe

    When it comes to baking tin, you have two options. One, is to use a large, 12- hole muffin tin, which is 125ml/ ½ cup in capacity. If you have one of those, it will be perfect for this recipe. The batter will produce exactly 12 cakes, and you should not have any leftover.

    overhead view of a 12- hole muffin tin greased with butter

    Other option is to use a traditional 12- hole muffin pan, with 80ml/ ⅓ cup capacity. If you are using one of these, you will have some extra batter left at the end. This recipe will produce about 15 cakes in total (bonus!), so bear that in mind.

    As we are not using any muffin liners or paper cases here, whichever tin you choose, make sure to grease it well with some butter, oil or non-stick spray.

    overhead view of blood orange and semolina cakes on a large white plate and some blood orange slices around it

    The secret to moist and airy cakes

    This bake requires a very small amount of flour, and its beautiful texture comes from the mix of semolina and ground almonds. Semolina has slightly nutty and sweet flavour with coarse texture similar to cornmeal. It creates beautiful, super light and moist bakes and it is ideal for soaking up that sweet syrup.

    What also helps these blood orange and semolina cakes stay extra moist for longer, is the use of extra virgin olive oil and full-fat Greek yogurt. Unlike butter, these two ingredients do not contain any water, so it won't evaporate resulting in drying out the cakes.

    • 45 degree angle close up of a bowl with fine semolina
    • side close up of a bowl with Greek yogurt and some olive oil in the background

    Ideally, you will need an electric or freestanding mixer for the first part of the recipe only, but it is also possible to do it all by hand, with a whisk and a spatula. To make these cakes, you will start by whipping eggs and sugar together, until they are pale, fluffy and doubled in volume.

    After that, all what is left is simply add the remaining batter ingredients and gently fold them in with spatula. You want to do it gently and slowly, to avoid breaking the air bubbles created when whipping the eggs and sugar. It's the secret to super light and airy texture!

    straight ahead super close up at mini cake made with semolina, revealing it's airy texture

    Divide the batter between each case and place slice of blood orange on top of each cake. Sprinkle the orange slices with some extra sugar, it will help bring their juices out while they bake.

    Bake the cakes for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

    straight ahead angle photo of blood orange and semolina cakes on a plate
    straight ahead shot of single blood orange and semolina cake on a mini cupcake stand

    How to store these mini cakes

    Any leftovers of these blood orange and semolina cakes should be stored in the airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 2 days, but may become a bit dry with time.

    These cakes are also suitable for freezing. Once they're baked, allow them to cool completely. Do not drizzle the cakes with syrup. Simply wrap each cake in clingfilm, then place them in the freezer-friendly container for up to three months.

    Thaw them overnight at room temperature, and drizzle with syrup before serving.

    side angle at mini cakes topped with blood orange slices and drizzled in syrup

    For more citrus recipes check out my:

    • Citrus Crepes with Honey
    • Zesty Lemon Cake
    • Small-batch Lemon Drizzle Cake

    Feel free to leave me a comment a rating if you try this, or any other of my recipes. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on my Instagram and Pinterest. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!

    side angle close up photo of two blood orange and semolina cakes on a white plate
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 13 votes

    Blood Orange and Semolina Cakes

    These cakes have beautifully soft, moist and airy texture and are full of zesty, fragrant citrus flavours. Each cake is topped with slice of blood orange and drizzled with some sweet syrup, making them really hard to resist!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: blood orange cake, mini cakes, semolina cake
    Servings: 15 mini cakes
    Calories: 212kcal
    Author: Anna

    Equipment

    • 12- hole muffin tin (80ml / ⅓ cup or 125ml/ ½ cup capacity)
    • electric or freestanding mixer
    • spatula

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon butter or oil for greasing the tin or non-stick spray
    • 3 large eggs
    • 140 g caster sugar plus extra 2 tablespoon for topping
    • 280 g Greek yogurt full fat
    • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon blood orange zest
    • 160 g semolina
    • 35 g plain flour sifted
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder sifted
    • 40 g ground almonds
    • 2 large blood oranges sliced thinly
    • 2 tablespoon icing/ powdered sugar optional

    For the syrup:

    • 125 ml blood orange juice
    • 60 ml water
    • 75 g caster sugar
    Metric - US Customary
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 180C (170C fan). Grease the 12- hole muffin tin and set it aside.
    • In a bowl of an electric or freestanding mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar until light, pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes (alternatively, whisk by hand). Add full-fat Greek yogurt, extra virgin olive oil, vanilla, blood orange zest, semolina, sifted flour, baking powder and ground almonds and using spatula, gently fold until all ingredients are combined.
    • Spoon the mixture into prepared muffin tin and bake (about 3 tablespoon of batter for smaller baking tin and 4 tablespoon per cake for larger tin). If you are using large muffin tin (125 ml in capacity), you should get exactly 12 cakes. My baking tin was smaller, 80ml in capacity, and I've had some extra batter left (enough for extra 3 cakes). Top each cake with a slice of blood orange and sprinkle the top of each cake with some extra sugar.
    • Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown and toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean. Take out from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing and transferring cakes into a cooling rack.
    • Meanwhile, prepare the syrup by placing blood orange juice, water and sugar into a small saucepan over a medium heat. Bring the mixture to boil, then cook for about 8-10 minutes until it reduced its volume by half and becomes thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat.
    • Spoon the juice on top of each cake, and dust it with some icing sugar (optional). Enjoy!

    Please note that all my recipes are developed and tested in metric grams. I recommend that you use digital scales for a more accurate results. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.

    Notes

    • My muffin tin was 80ml / ⅓ cup in capacity, and I've had enough batter for about 15 cakes (extra treat for the cook!). If you have large muffin tin which is 125ml / ½ cup in capacity, you should get exactly 12 cakes.
    • Fine semolina will be best in this recipe. If you only have coarse semolina, I recommend placing it in the blender and pulsing it few times to grind it into finer texture. 
    • Use cookie/ ice cream scoop to spoon the batter into the baking tin, this way each cake will be equal and uniform in size. I used scoop which is 3 tablespoon in capacity. 
    • If your syrup is not thickening, continue to cook it until the texture becomes thick and syrupy.  
    • Cakes will keep fresh for 2-3 days, and are best to be stored at room temperature in the airtight container.
    • To freeze the cakes, wrap them tightly in clingfilm (without drizzling in syrup), then place in the freezer-friendly container. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature and drizzle with syrup before serving.
    Recipe adapted from Semolina Almond and Blood Orange Syrup Cakes by Donna Hay
     

    Nutrition

    Serving: 85g | Calories: 212kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 63mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 175IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this?Tell me how you like it? Leave a comment or take a picture and tag @anna_wierzbinska on Instagram. I love seeing your take on my recipes!

    If yo would like to receive any future recipes straight to your inbox, make sure to subscribe to my mailing list.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jerika

      February 21, 2022 at 10:25 am

      5 stars
      Wow! these blood orange and semolina cakes look so good!:) Can't wait to try it. Thanks!:)

      Reply

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