This Greek yogurt and semolina cake is moist and delicate. It has a crunchy nut topping and satisfying flavor that comes from using semolina along with the flour. (If you can’t find semolina, it can be replaced with flour.) It’s a dramatic dessert that keeps well and is straightforward to put together. The original recipe comes from Chef Deborah Madison’s friend, Aglaia Kremezi. It was originally shared in “The Foods of the Greek Islands” book. However, Chef Madison has gradually adapted the recipe to better fit her own preferences. She was thrilled to make it this time with the Kalona SuperNatural™ Organic Whole Milk Greek Yogurt – she believes it’s by far the best she has tasted outside of Greece and feels the organic whole milk yogurt contributes to the tartness, richness, and moisture of the cake.

Greek Yogurt Cake Ingredients

3 tablespoons Kalona SuperNatural™ Lightly Salted Butter
3 eggs, separated
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup Kalona SuperNatural™ Organic Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
1 cup semolina
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped almonds

Almond Crust and Honey-Orange Syrup Ingredients

1 cup water
the thin skin of one orange, removed with a peeler
½ cup honey
3 tablespoons sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons orange flower water

Greek Yogurt Cake Directions

Preheat the oven to 375’. Melt the butter and use about a third of it to coat a 9-inch spring form pan. Allow the rest to cool.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, wet peaks form. Scoop them into a bowl and set aside. Add the yolks to the same bowl and whisk, with the ¾ cup sugar, until thick and pale-colored. Add the yogurt, the melted butter and the semolina and mix well.
Next add the orange juice followed by the flour, baking powder and salt. Remove the bowl from the mixer, scrape the batter from the bottom to make sure all is well mixed, then add ¼ of the egg whites and stir them into the batter to loosen it. Add the rest of the whites and fold them in with a wide rubber scraper, mixing well but with as few strokes as possible. Turn the batter into the pan and even the top.
Strew the almonds over the top then press them into the batter, lightly using your hand. Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons sugar over the surface then bake the cake in the center of the oven until the nuts are golden and the cake is pulling away from the pan, about 35 minutes.
While the cake is baking, make the syrup. Simmer the water with the orange peel, honey, and sugar until it appears orange and has a syrupy consistency – about 7 minutes. When the cake comes out of the oven, spoon the syrup over the surface, allowing it sink in before adding more. Use all of the syrup. If you like, sliver the orange peel and stew pieces over the top of the cake.