Chocolate semolina cake has an intense brownie like flavor and a slightly grainy texture. If you have semolina lurking in your cabinets as I have, give this cake a try.
What is semolina?
The semolina I’m talking about is different from the flour used to make pasta. This semolina is a wheat product similar to grits or polenta. It is coarsely ground and used in porridges or to make desserts. Semolina can also be used as “couscous” for savory dishes and salads. In Spain semolina is called sémola, in India it’s suji. If you need a gluten free option, you’ll also find rice and corn semolina. For this recipe I used one made from wheat.
For the last several weeks I’ve been talking about meal planning and shopping your panty before going to the grocery store. While writing the posts I was also practicing what I was preaching by sorting through my food inventory. It was long overdue, to be honest. I have a ton of grains, beans and other items that need to be eaten. Among them was a bag of semolina.
Since it’s potluck week at I Heart Cooking Clubs I searched recipes of past featured chefs for inspiration and came across Mark Bittman’s Chocolate Semolina Pudding with Raspberry Puree. The recipe comes from his Food Matters book in which he discusses the environmental and health impact of industrial farming and food production. He believes, as do I, that conscious eating can reverse much of the damage. There’s a Food Matters Cookbook as well.
Bittman’s chocolate semolina cake recipe was used to generate publicity for the book. I came across several websites which used it. Unfortunately, it’s not a good time of year for raspberries so I gave the puree a pass. The best I could come up with were some very expensive (and tasteless) strawberries. In the end, I opted for some dulce de leche ice cream and have no regrets.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 ounces dark chocolate I used half of a 100g 90% cacao bar
- 1 cup plain yogurt Bittman uses whole milk yogurt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup wheat semolina (choose the finest ground you can find)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Prepare an 8 or 9 inch square baking dish with baking spray or butter.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over low heat. Add the chocolate and cocoa powder and stir until well mixed and smooth. Set aside.
- Beat together the sugar and yogurt, then add the semolina, baking soda, vanilla and the chocolate mixture. Mix well.
- Transfer the batter to the baking dish and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. It's done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cut into 9 pieces and serve warm.
I expected the cake to be more spongy like revani, a semolina cake from Turkey. Without the eggs, this was a little dry and crumbly for us but still very tasty.
It’s Potluck Week at I Heart Cooking Clubs. Be sure to drop by and see what the other bloggers have chosen to share.
One of my goals for this year is to use up what I have in my pantry, instead of stocking up for the pantry! The jars of beans and lentils in my pantry! I’m very slowly using them up.
Your chocolate semolina cake looks delicious served with the berries and ice cream! Yum!
Semolina is a great ingredient to work with. Making that with chocolate in a cake sounds — amazing.
Shopping your pantry is a great idea. I do try and do that also. Grainy texture is not selling me on this brownie-like cake but since it is made with chocolate I would probably like it:)
I absolutely love Bittman’s Food Matters cookbook and need to pull it out and get reacquainted with it. I love that you are meal planning and cleaning out your food stores. I have been trying to do the same thing. One of my new year’s goals was to be more purposeful about using what I have instead of buying more and more all the time. This recipe is the perfect example of that! How many delicious and lovely dishes are just waiting for you in your pantry like this? There’s no telling!
I love that you opted for a dulce de leche ice cream (it looks so indulgent)! It was the perfect choice for this time of year when the fruit leaves much to be desired!