A Sweet Spoonful

So I wait, thinking of other ways to use pumpkin. I was leafing through my recipe binder the other night and stumbled across this recipe for Pumpkin Semolina Cake. Semolina flour is available in most supermarkets, so you shouldn’t have much trouble finding it. It’s often used to make homemade pasta and pizza dough because it has a higher gluten percentage, making pasta stretch easily rather than breaking apart. While Italians use it for pastas, it’s traditionally used in Greece, North Africa and the Middle East to make crumbly baked goods. Because of the high egg content in this recipe, the cake is almost pudding-like with a large, moist crumb (thanks to the semolina flour).

I’d never baked a cake in a water bath before, although I’d heard of people doing so with cheesecakes. It turns out, it’s a common practice with delicate foods and egg-based desserts (of which this is one) because it allows them to cook at a lower, even temperature. This cake is best served warm with a dollop of homemade whipped cream. And I think it’s especially nice served with cinnamon or mint tea. It should tide me over until Thanksgiving when I’ll savor my first real piece of pumpkin pie. However, I loved this cake so much that–dare I say–it could even be a nice substitute.

Try it out and tell me what you think~

Pumpkin Semolina Cake
From: Cottage Living

Ingredients:
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 cup semolina flour
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
6 eggs, separated
3/4 sugar, divided

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan, and dust with flour. Wrap outside of pan halfway up sides with aluminum foil, and place in a heavy-duty roasting pan.

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Slowly whisk in semolina flour until smooth. Remove from heat, and place in a large bowl to cool. Add the butter and pumpkin, stirring well.

Sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; fold into pumpkin mixture until incorporated. Beat egg yolks and 1/2 cup sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Clean mixer blades, and beat egg whites in a separate bowl at high speed with an electric mixer until frothy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat to form stiff peaks. Fold yolk mixture into pumpkin mixture; gently fold in egg whites.

Pour batter into prepared pan, place in a water bath, and bake at 350 F for 50-55 minutes or until set in the center. Out of the oven, remove cake pan from water bath. Cool slightly. Serve warm.

Serves 10-12