COCONUT & WALNUT SYRUP CAKE
Ever since I decided to share recipes on the blog, I’ve been trying to spot a really special one to start with. Initially I thought it would be hard to make up my mind but this one was a clear winner. This coconut and walnut syrup cake was created one afternoon by my mum after getting back home from a family day trip in the countryside. My sister and I kept asking for something sweet, so she quickly baked us this cake based on what she had in her kitchen pantry. Ever since it has become a staple and it always awaits for me whenever I get back home – the sweetest welcome I could ask for!
A variation between a semolina cake (the so-called “basbousa”) and a walnut cake (“καρυδόπιτα” in Greek), it’s moist, fluffy and drenched in syrup. The addition of desiccated coconut to the batter makes it pleasingly rich while the crushed pistachio adds up to the texture.
I don’t really like too syrupy desserts but this one is really light and not overly sweet. The end result is simply amazing, but then again I’m not partial! Jokes aside, it’s the kind of dessert that goes perfectly with a cup of tea or a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the end of dinner.
Ingredients
For the cake:
▸ 250g caster sugar
▸ 60g sunflower oil
▸ 3 medium-sized eggs
▸ 50g semolina
▸ 50g all-purpose flour
▸ ½ cup desiccated coconut
▸ 1 cup ground walnuts
▸ 1 tsp cognac
▸ 1 tsp cinnamon powder
▸ 10-15 ground pistachios
For the syrup:
▸ 250g sugar
▸ 300 ml water
Preparation
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. In a large bowl beat with a mixer all ingredients until the mixture is fluffy and well blended. Pour the batter into a rectangular tin making sure that it’s evenly spread.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If the top of the cake gets dark too quickly while in the oven, cover it lightly with aluminum foil. Once the cake is removed from the oven, place onto a cooling rack until it’s slightly cooled.
In the meantime, prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan add the sugar and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Let it simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the syrup from heat and let it infuse for about 10 minutes.
Pour the warm syrup over the cake starting from the middle, a spoonful at a time. The cake tastes far better when it cools down and even more so, the next day when all the syrup is soaked. It will keep for 4-5 days at room temperature but it never lasts that long in our home! Enjoy and feel free to tag me in your pictures if you decide to give it a go; I’d love to see how you liked it.
