I adore cakes made with oranges. Or anything that is sweet and orange. I always eat the orange jelly beans first and always pick flourless orange cake if it is on the menu. For part two of “A feast of oranges”, I made a cake from one of my favourite cookbooks “Polpo”, which has the most glorious photos of Venetian inspired food – a blood orange and Campari cake. The recipe calls for blood oranges, which aren’t in season yet, so I substituted them with regular navel oranges.
A word of warning if you do try the recipe directly from “Polpo” – there is a mistake in the recipe. It states that the cake should be cooked for 15 minutes at which time it should be tested with a skewer. This is clearly incorrect as most semolina cakes I have made in the past have required around an hour in the oven. The first time I made it I checked it at 45 minutes – it was still very pale. I found that it took an hour 10 minutes to cook. In spite of the confusion over cooking times, the recipe is perfect. Once the cake is cooked, you pour a thick syrup made of orange juice, Campari and sugar onto the cake. I also keep a portion of the syrup on the side to serve with the cake – the Campari gave the syrup a lovely slightly bitter edge. You could also leave the Campari out, but I love it. The result would be even more dramatic (visually as well as taste) if you used blood oranges – which is exactly what I will do when they are in season at the end of winter.
Campari and orange semolina cake
8 oranges
350g (2 and 1/4 cups) Greek yoghurt
600g (4 cups) caster sugar
4 medium sized eggs, lightly beaten
250g butter (2 sticks), melted and cooled
350g (2 and 1/4 cups) fine semolina
100g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
100ml (2/5 cup) Campari
Preheat the oven to 170C (330F). Line and grease a 23cm (9 inch) cake tin. Grate the zest of 4 oranges and set aside. Put the yoghurt, half the sugar and the eggs into a large mixing bowl and stir, then add the butter. Finally fold in the semolina, the almonds and the zest. Place the batter into the prepared tin and cook for an hour ten minutes. The cake should be firm and a skewer inserted in the centre should come out clean.
While the cake is cooking, make the syrup. Place the juice of the 8 oranges, the other half of the sugar and the Campari in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer until reduced by half, skimming off any white foam that forms as the syrup is reducing.
When the cake is cooked, allow to cool slightly and remove from the tin. Place on a wire rack with a plate underneath (to catch excess syrup) – or directly onto the serving plate – and prick the top of the cake all over with a toothpick. Pour over the syrup in batches, allowing the liquid to absorb before adding the next batch. I like to reserve some of the syrup to serve with the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, with some vanilla ice cream on the side if you like.
Sounds delicious! I wonder if it would work as well with Aperol? It’s very similar but not quite as bitter as Campari. Maybe just a bit less sugar in the syrup? I have a huge bottle of Aperol but no Campari just now.
I think Aperol would be fine but yes you would have to decrease the amount of sugar. Hope it turns out well!
This cake sounds seriously delicious, but I’ll hang out until the blood oranges appear, thanks for sharing this gorgeous recipe
I love oranges so much I could not wait for the red ones. I saw some blood oranges at the market on Sunday but they aren’t very red yet so you will have to wait a bit longer… (I will have to wait too as can’t wait to make it with blood oranges)
I love oranges too!!!! I am right with you on the jelly beans! 🙂 Even my favorite perfume is from blood oranges. Cake looks fab, will have to try it! Buona domenica!
grazie Diana! Perfume from blood oranges? I am intrigued….
Yes…DELICIOUS!!!! That is how I feel when I wear it! Check it out: http://www.ateliercologne.com/orange-sanguine-cologne-absolue.html
I love a good orange cake with lots and lots of orange zest….with the glaze that looks really decadent! I can’t wait for winter-our local oranges in south Louisiana are very good for this. Looks yummy!
Thanks you will love it!
Your cakes looks delicious. Thank you for the tip-I have that book and will make the correction.
It was a bit frustrating finding the error – I googled it and I wasn’t the first to find it. I think it was meant to be one hour 15 rather than 15 minutes.
Wonderful cake and I would say that the Campari is a must – just a little bit of a different twist to the flavours. Love the photo of the oranges.
Thanks very much – the Campari gives it that “adult” taste
That looks wonderful- and I can smell it with my newly installed Mac smellavision app! I have a blood orange tree I planted two years ago that has its first two organise on it! Maybe next year there will be enough for a cake?
Mac smell-a-vision app?! I am intrgued…You will have to show me your tree next time I visit
Love Campari! Will have to try this.
[…] them up and eating them with crunchy fennel in a salad, or turn them into a cake such as this Campari and orange semolina cake or almond and orange flourless cake. I am always on the lookout for more recipes for biscotti, and […]