This cake recipe was shared via Kristin, who received it from our dearest friend, Mary. Mary is at the heart of our community, guiding us on this yogic path. As things progress, she continues to be a joy-filled light leading the way for us all. I had the privilege of baking this cake with Leela (Mary’s daughter) while visiting Mary and her family in Boulder.
I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Kristin for sharing this recipe with us, and thank you, Leela, for bringing us such an experience of contentment and joy in playful baking together. Such grace!
This cake improves with time, allowing the flavours to come together. It is moist yet light in texture and aromatic with lemon. Serve it with yoghurt as a simple dessert or with a cup of kashaya at the end of the meal.
Mary’s lemon semolina cake
preparation 10 minutes
baking time 30 minutes
serves 8 – 10
ingredients
½ cup/65g whole wheat flour or coconut flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 cup/170g fine semolina
¼ + 2 Tbsp/75g raw sugar
½ cup/90g coconut oil
¾ cup/180g plain yoghurt
1 lemon, zest and juice
syrup ingredients
¼ cup/50g sugar
½ cup water
1 lemon, zest and juice
garnishing
shredded coconut
icing powder
extra lemon zest
prepare the cake
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan with ghee or coconut oil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, semolina, and sugar, stirring to combine. Set aside.
- In a small pan over low heat, slowly melt the coconut oil. Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt, lemon juice, and zest.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and fold together until well combined. Then, using a spatula, scrape the batter into the greased cake pan and smooth or press down the top.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly golden or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
prepare the syrup
- Near the end of the baking time prepare the syrup. Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan and mix well with a wooden spoon, bring the syrup up to the boil, add the lemon juice and zest – simmer gently for 1 minute or until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the syrup from the heat and set aside until the cake is ready.
finish the cake
- Once the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven – set aside to cool.
- Use a small, sharp knife to cut the cake down the centre. Then, draw two parallel lines on either side 3 – 4 cm apart, followed by another set of lines at a 45-degree angle, creating a diamond pattern.
- Drizzle the syrup evenly over the cake and sprinkle with shredded coconut and icing sugar. Allow the cake to sit for a few hours for the flavours to mingle.
Goodness shared by Stacey
Baked and assisted by Leela
Artwork by Kristin