Stone Fruit Semolina Olive Oil Cake with Earl Grey Rose Syrup

This summer, impress your guests with a Mediterranean-inspired dessert that is deceptively easy to make. This stone fruit semolina olive oil cake will transport you to a sun-kissed vineyard overlooking the sea. With its perfect combination of fresh fruit, semolina, and extra virgin olive oil, this cake is sure to be a hit at your next gathering. And the best part? You don’t have to be a pastry chef to whip it up.

This is my first attempt at making olive oil cakes with semolina. You’re getting serious awesomeness if you have yet to try high-quality, fruity olive oil in your cake batter.

A few months ago, when I visited Istanbul, I noticed a surge in rose-themed sweets. A bouquet of dried roses is waiting in the pantry to be sprinkled into steaming mugs of tea. This cake is complete with the sweet, sticky syrup made by boiling Earl Grey tea.

Ingredients:

For the Syrup:

• 1/2 cup of boiling water
• 2 pcs. of tea bags
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 cup of dried rosebuds or petals

For the Cake:

• 1 cup of all purpose flour
• ½ cup of semolina flour
• 1 ½ tsp. of baking powder
• ¼ tsp. of baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. of nutmeg
• ½ tsp. of salt
• ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup of sugar (divided)
• 3 eggs (separated)
• 2/3 cup of yogurt
• 1 tsp. of vanilla
• 2 tbsp. of bourbon (optional)

The Topping:

• a handful of cherries(pitted and halved)
• 1 tbsp. of sugar
• 2-3 peaches (sliced thinly)
• more rose petals (for garnish)

Instructions:

1. First, bring the water for your syrup to a boil in a small saucepan. Put in the teabags and leave them there for at least fifteen to twenty minutes or until they are very strong. Take out the tea bags, toss them, and dump the sugar into the saucepan. Dissolve the sugar in a pan over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the sugar has dissolved, add the rose buds or petals and simmer for five minutes, occasionally stirring, until the mixture has thickened into a syrup. Turn off the stove and let the tea steep for 30 more minutes.
2. Secondly, bake a cake. Prepare a 9-by-9-inch cake pan by greasing and flouring it, then placing it in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Flour, semolina flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt should all be combined in a medium bowl and whisked together.
3. A half cup of olive oil and a quarter cup of sugar (half of the total amount you’ll be using in the cake) should be beaten together in a large bowl for 1 minute. The flour mixture should be beaten after the egg yolks and until everything is incorporated. Once that’s done, add the vanilla extract, bourbon, and yogurt and stir gently.
4. To make soft peaks, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer or a clean, dry whisk. Whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should be folded into the batter until just combined.
5. Toast for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Run a toothpick all over the top of the cake. The warm cake holes will absorb more syrup if you pour it all over the cake. (An easy way to enjoy your candied rose buds is to add them to a cup of tea. That’s so cool; I can’t even.
6. As the cake cools, cut up your fruit. Cherry, sugar, and a splash of water should be cooked over medium heat and stirred occasionally. Wait for the cherries to become tender and form a sauce by simmering for about an hour. Add some crushed rose petals and arrange the stone fruit slices on top of the cake. Eat with cherry sauce.