i first attempted this raspberry + cardamon semolina cake about two years ago and the result was a little disastrous. it was one of my first attempts to make a recipe on my own and i really had no idea what i was doing! to top it off, my oven liked to burn things (side note, check your oven temperature if you were once a decent baker and then start burning everything).
fast forward two years, lots of recipe testing/developing and researching later and the result is well worth the work and wait. this cake finally make “sense” to me after making the most delicious blood orange semolina muffins and was the first recipe i thought of to go back and try again.
what’s in this raspberry + cardamon semolina cake?
now lets talk about the three main things that make up this fantastically easy cake! a dense, yet light cake made from a blend of AP, almond + semolina flour, fresh raspberries in and topping the cake, and don’t forget about the raspberry whipped cream. this cake is perfectly sweet, with bursts of tartness and notes of nuttiness from the semolina and tahini (yes, i found a way to use tahini in this, too!).
wait, raspberry whipped cream?! tell me more.
yes, you read that correctly and after learning this trick, you’ll be making raspberry (strawberry or blueberry) everything! much like my lavender sugar this is a quick sugar blend using regular sugar and a flavor add-in. for this you’ll need:
- 1/2 c freeze dried raspberries
- 1-2 c sugar
- food processor
place raspberries and sugar into a food processor and process for 20-30 seconds. that’s it! depending on how strong of a raspberry flavor you want (or how red/pink) you want the final sugar to be, you can vary the amount of sugar you use. for this recipe i went with 1/2 c freeze dried raspberries and 1 1/2 c sugar. store extra sugar in an airtight container.
a few tips for the perfect raspberry semolina cake…
- line your baking pan with parchment paper
- you can use frozen raspberries for this, although fresh berries are going to hold their shape better (no runny juices)
- if using frozen berries, make sure to completely thaw on a paper towel and pat off any excess juices before adding to the batter (fold very, very gently)
- aesthetically, i would have loved more berries overall, and maybe a few streaks of color from the juices. my long way of saying, id try this with less than perfect raspberries if you like a “messier” look
- wait until you’re ready to serve to add the whipped cream. you could even leave if off, add dusting of powdered sugar and serve the whipped cream with fresh berries on the side
looking for more spring and summer baked fruit recipes?
- strawberry rhubarb tahini crisp
- strawberry rhubarb + tahini mascarpone crumble bars
- easy lemon blueberry scones
happy baking + eating!
raspberry + cardamom semolina cake
Equipment
- stand up or hand held mixer
- paddle and whisk attchement
- food processor
- 8-9" round or square baking pan
Ingredients
semolina cake
- 1 c semolina flour (163g)
- 1/4 c all purpose flour (30g)
- 1 tbsp all purpose flour (coating the raspberries)
- 1/2 c almond flour (48g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 c tahini, well stirred (57g) (can sub with olive oil or melted butter)
- 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 3/4 c sugar (150g)
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 c plain greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp almong extract
- 1 1/2 c raspberries (190g)
raspberry sugar
- 1/2 c freeze dried raspberries
- 1-2 c sugar (200-400g)
whipped cream
- 1 c heavy whipping cream
- 2-4 tbsp raspberry sugar
Instructions
semolina cake
- Gently coat cleaned raspberries in 1 tbsp flour. Line on a small plate or baking sheet. Chill in the freezer until ready to use in the cake.
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking pan with parchemnt paper. Set aside
- In a seperate bowl, whisk together semolina, all purpose and almond flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand up mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat together the tahini, butter and sugar until light, about 4-5 minutes.
- One at a time, add the eggs. Incorporate each egg before adding the next and beat again for another 5 minutes. Add in extracts. Beat additional minute.
- Starting with dry, add dry ingredients to the wet, alternating with the yogurt (dry, yogurt, dry, yogurt, dry) Add dry ingredients to the wet 1/3 at a time. Mix slowly each time until just combined. On the last addtion of the flour, stir in by hand.
- By hand, gently fold in 3/4-1c of the chilled, flour coated raspberries into the batter (reserving at least 1/4 c for topping the batter)
- Evenly pour batter into prepared pan. Top with reserved berries.Bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes or until lightly golden and toothpick comes out mostly clean.
- Cool in pan on a cooling rack for at least an hour. Remove from the pan and cool additional time if needed. Top with whipped cream and more fresh berries.
raspberry sugar
- Combine freeze dried raspberries and sugar into a food processor. Process for 20-30 seconds. Store in an airtight container.
whipped cream
- Chill a mixing bowl, beaters or whisk attachment for 10 minutes.
- Pour heavy whipping cream into chilled bowl and on low speed beat until soft peaks form. Add in 3-4 tbsp raspberry sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, waiting until incorporated before adding the next.
- Taste and adjust as needed. Beat until medium stiff peaks form.
Notes
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can this be made the day before?
Hi Shelby. Since this cake contains fresh berries, my biggest concern about making 1+ days before you plan to serve it would be the possibility of weeping. If you can’t make it the same day, I would bake the cake, cool it completely, wrap the entire cake in plastic cling and freeze it. Thaw at room temperature for 1.5 -2 hours before you plan to serve. If topping with whipped cream, make the whipped cream right before you plan to serve.