Pistachio Harisa – Semolina Cake

Syrup

• 1 1/3 c water
• 2 1/2 c sugar
• 3 T lemon juice

Put the water and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.

Cake

• 1 1/2 c shelled pistachios, divided into 1c and 1/2 c
• 1/2 c + 2 T sugar
• 7 T butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing
• 1/2 c sunflower oil
• 2/3 c Greek-style yogurt
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp Diamond kosher salt
• 2 3/4 c fine semolina
• 3/4 c unsweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 T lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9″x13″ pan.

In a food processor blend 1 cup of pistachios until they are very finely ground. Set aside.

Place the remaining 1/2 c of pistachios into the processor and coarsely chop them. Set aside.

Put the sugar, butter, oil and yogurt into a bowl and with an electric mixer beat on high speed until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Whisk the baking powder and salt into the semolina, then add that and the finely ground pistachios, coconut, and lemon zest to the batter. Mix with the beater on low speed until just combined. Don’t over mix.

Scrape the batter into the buttered pan and use a spatula to smooth it. Sprinkle the coarsely-chopped pistachios over the top and gently press them a bit into the batter. Let the cake rest for 10 minutes and then bake for 25-30 minutes or until the surface is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then pour the cooled sugar syrup evenly over the cake. Let sit for another hour before serving.

Store any leftover cake in an airtight container for 2-3 days – or freeze.