Saffron Semolina Cake

This was my best experience. Baking this cake has been on my mind since many days... I have a big bag of very very fine semolina... making upma with that turns out like a lumpy porridge... the only options with that semolina are idlis or dosas... I thought I would try using it in a cake instead. Initially I was not very sure about the semolina getting cooked properly but eventually it all turned out into a yummy scrummy delicious cake.

As usual there is no butter in this recipe. I used sunflower oil (thought olive oil would not go with the flavour of saffron here) and a tablespoon of semi skimmed milk. I would love to experiment adding some  dry fruits (like dates, raisins etc) though but this time I just made it plain... believe me.. it tasted heavenly...

This cake had such a nice texture from the cooked semolina and a sweet aroma from the saffron. Since this was the first time I was making this cake I made a small quantity in a loaf pan but this would make a perfect breakfast if made in a square or even round cake tin.

I could not just stop taking photos of this lovely looking cake..

okay.. this is how I made the cake...

Ingredients

Very fine semolina - 1 cup
Wholewheat flour - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1
Sunflower Oil - 1/2 cup
Milk - 2 tbsps - warm
Saffron - 2 pinches
Baking Powder - 2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 cup - Preferably white so that the color of saffron stands out

Method

1. Grease the loaf tin with little bit of oil.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degC.
3. In the warm milk soak the saffron until the batter is ready.
4. In a large bowl whisk the egg, oil and sugar and beat them nicely.
5. Mix the semolina and flour in a separate bowl with the baking powder.
6. Once this is done, mash the saffron strands well in the milk and add the whole thing into the wet mixture.
7. Add the flours and mix well. If the consistency is too thick you could add some milk.
8. Pour the batter into the cake tin/loaf tin and bake it in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes (but do check it often). Mine got perfectly baked in 30 minutes. 
9. Test the cake with a knife or a skewer and remove it from the oven when done.
10. Release the ends with a knife, place the cake on a plate, let it cool down before you cut it. 

Enjoy every bite... :)