This delicious semolina almond cake recipe comes to us courtesy of chef Levana Kirschenbaum. Levana is the author of several cookbooks, including Levana Cooks Dairy-Free and The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen, and she is a well-known chef in the NYC area.
Levana’s cake is definitely an all-occasion dessert that can be easily adapted to suit a variety of special diets. It is naturally dairy-free and soy-free, and Levana even includes a tested gluten-free option. For Passover, Levana has the following recommendation: “Those of you who use Matza cake meal for Passover can substitute it for the cornmeal, and use potato starch instead of the flour.”
For an even more indulgent, Passover-approved dessert, see Levana’s dairy-free Chocolate Pecan Torte with Chocolate Glaze Recipe. But first, enjoy the recipe for this tender semolina almond cake below.
Note on Eggs: This recipe is pretty reliant on the eggs – I’d be hard pressed to try and substitute them here. If you are someone who confuses eggs with dairy, don’t fret, you’re not alone. See the explanation of eggs here.
- 4 Eggs, whites and yolks divided
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ¾ Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 1-1/2 Cups Finely Ground Almonds (use a food processor or spice grinder)
- 1 Cup Fine Semolina Flour (Gluten-free: Use fine cornmeal)
- ⅓ Cup Flour, any flour (Gluten-free or all-purpose)
- ¾ Cup Light Agave Nectar or Honey
- Juice and Zest of 2 Lemons
- 1 Cup Sliced Almonds, optional
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F
- With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites and salt at high speed until soft peaks form.
- Add the sugar gradually and whip until stiff.
- Switch to low speed, and allowing only enough time to combine the ingredients, beating in one ingredient at a time, just a few seconds each time, the yolks, then the oil, etc… until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Pour the batter into a greased 10 inch round baking pan, and bake 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- While the cake is baking, heat the agave or honey and lemon juice plus zest in a saucepan over a low flame until just warm (or microwave 30 seconds to 1 minute)
- When you remove the cake from the oven, immediately poke the cake all over with a toothpick or skewer, and pour the syrup all over the cake.
- If desired, sprinkle cake with sliced almonds.
9 Comments
Looks delicious. So it can be baked without any baking powder just as well? For Passover, I mean 🙂
Thanks
Hi Michele, it’s my understanding that baking powder can be kosher for passover, and I found many articles stating this. Here is just one – http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/05/dining/05leav.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
My cake sunk in the middle. I haven’t tasted it yet, but it is a bit homely. Why do you think this happened? Happy New Year.
Ilene – I’m so sorry to hear this! Did it rise and then sink? My guess is too much leavener (baking powder). This recipe uses a lot of baking powder, and in a dry climate or higher altitude (particularly above 3000 feet) too much will cause a cake to rise too quickly and then collapse. I would use half the amount of leavener at high altitude. If it simply didn’t rise, it could be the opposite problem – sea level and too many heavy ingredients. Did you make an adaptions to the recipe?
I already have ground almond flour. Can I use that instead? Should I use 1 1/2 cups or less, since it’s already ground?
Yes, you would use 1-1/2 cups of the almond flour – the recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups of finely ground almonds (measurement after grinding) or about 5.5 to 6 ounces. Sorry if this is confusing!
How many eggs should this recipe call for? I really want to try it, but it just says eggs and I’m hesitant to guess.
Thanks for pointing that out Christina! I accidentally deleted the number when updating. It’s fixed now and it’s 4 eggs. Enjoy!
Thanks so much!