“Kalo Prama”- Greek Cypriot Semolina Cake
Are you Greek or Cypriot? Then you probably havent missed out on this jewel of a dessert.
Otherwise read on. “Kalo Prama” translates to “Good stuff”. And believe me when they say that. It is good. Period.
The semolina based batter is easy to make and to finish it off, a flavorful lemon sugar syrup is poured over the hot cake.
Confession : It is really hard to stop with just one slice, so I would suggest you to make larger cakes or make them in a pair. Perfect dessert for any festive occasion or a house party.
I gave my own twist to the recipe by using a little bit of “kewra water” in my cake syrup, giving it a beautiful indianised flavor. (Kewra water is a fragrant indian floral water extracted from the flower of Pandanus tectorius, this is better known as Pandan leaf extract in southeast asia)
Try out “Kalo Prama” & you will love it!
Cake Ingredients:
- Semolina- 1 cup
- Flour- 1 cup
- Sugar- 1/2 cup
- Butter- 1/2 cup (softened)
- Baking powder- 1 teaspoon
- Orange zest- 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
- Vanilla essence- 1/2 teaspoon
- Rose water- 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
- Salt-1/4 teaspoon
- Eggs-3(lightly beaten)
- Almond halves- 15 to 20 ( for garnishing)
Syrup Ingredients:
- Sugar- 1/2 cup or 100g (you can use 1/4 cup more if you like)
- Water- 2/3 cup or 150 ml
- Rose water- 1/2 teaspoon
- Kewra water- 1/2 teaspoon
- Vanilla essence- 1/4 teaspoon
- Cinnamon stick- 1 (small)
- Salt- a pinch
- Fresh lemon/ lime juice- 1 tablespoon
Baking method:
- Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a loaf pan with baking parchment.
- For the cake batter, whisk the butter & sugar together until light and creamy. Add the rose water, vanilla, orange zest and salt.
- Now add semolina, flour, baking powder. Mix well with an electric blender if available. Finally, beat in the eggs until completely combined.
- Now pour the batter in the baking pan. Smooth out the top and decorate with blanched almond halves.
- Bake for about 25 – 35 minutes, or until a skewer is inserted and comes out clean.
- FOR SYRUP- Heat all the ingredients in a small pot, boil till the sugar is perfectly dissolved. Do this step while the cake is baking. Now cool the syrup down.
- When the cake is done, bring it out from the oven, pour a little cool syrup over the hot cake. Once it has soaked in, add a bit more and wait for it to soak in. Repeat until all of the syrup is absorbed.
- You can serve warm or at normal temperature. The divine “Kalo Prama” is ready!
