4

GOURMET TRAVELLER 113

mixer until pale and flufy

(8-10 minutes). Add eggs one

at a time, beating well after

each addition, then add baking

powder, semolina, almond meal,

almonds, citrus juice, buttermilk,

fennel seed and a pinch of salt

and mix to just combine. Spoon

into tin and bake until cake is

golden and a skewer inserted

withdraws clean (35 minutes).

3 For lemon syrup, combine

ingredients with 80ml water in

a small saucepan and bring to

the boil, stirring to dissolve

sugar. Remove from heat and

cool to room temperature.

4 Pierce cake all over with a

skewer, then drizzle with syrup

and set aside to cool (1-2 hours).

5 Scatter cake with extra nuts

and orange rind and serve with

sweet yoghurt.

Wine suggestionSweet

late-harvest riesling.●

Fennel-spiced semolina cake

with yoghurt

SERVES 8-10 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 35 MINS (PLUS DRAINING, COOLING)

This delicately spiced cake is at its best served warm.
Begin this recipe a day ahead to drain the yoghurt.

220 gm softened butter
200 gm caster sugar
Finely grated rind and juice
of 1 lemon and 1 orange
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
200 gm fine semolina
150 gm almond meal
100 gm finely chopped roasted
almonds, plus extra to serve
125 ml (½ cup) buttermilk
3 tsp roasted fennel seeds,
ground
Finely grated orange rind,
to serve

SWEETENED YOGHURT

300 gm thick natural yoghurt

100 gm pure icing sugar, sifted

LEMON SYRUP

3 pieces of lemon rind,

removed with a peeler

80 gm caster sugar

1 For sweetened yoghurt, place

yoghurt in a muslin-lined sieve

over a bowl and refrigerate

overnight to drain. Discard liquid.

Combine with sugar until smooth

and refrigerate until needed.

2 Preheat oven to 170°C. Butter

a 22cm cake tin and line with

baking paper. Beat butter, sugar

and citrus rinds in an electric

Text pageGreen dish

from The DEA Store.

Semolina cakeSmall

plate (top left) from Mud

Australia. All other

props stylist’s own.

Stockists p176.