Sweet semolina cake of India origin with a Burmese twist with rich creamy coconut milk will satisfy that sweet tooth without overdoing it!
The sweater season is upon us now! It’s my favorite. Not sure if it’s the sweater or it’s the colorful leaves or both. My kids were kinda sad that summer was bye bye, but we just painted pumpkins last week and I guess that kinda made up for it! They seem to have forgotten about summer and can’t wait for Halloween. Me, of course probably like the majority of the grown-ups out there, is freaking out with the fact 2018 is just a few months away!
Now that we don’t spend that much time outside the house, the oven is turned on more often. For baking! I’ve been wanting to make this Burmese semolina cake (Shwe Gyi Sanwin Makin) for few months now. But blame it on summer (and the broken A/C for 3 weeks). All in all, I baked it! Burmese semolina cake is delicious and easy to make. I may be biased because I grew up with lots of things coconut in cooking and dessert. I love the addition of coconut milk in the cake. It gives great aroma and adds that richness! Traditionally, this cake is topped with white poppy seeds, but I didn’t have any and I just used white sesame seeds. I hope my Burmese peeps won’t bite my head off for that 😉
I love Burmese food because they are simple and packed with robust flavor!
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Recipe is adapted from The Burmese Kitchen
Burmese Semolina Cake (Shwe Gyi Sanwin Makin)
Ingredients
- 2 cups semolina flour (cream of wheat/soojee)
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 ½ cups canned or fresh coconut cream
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup cooking oil or you can use butter or ghee
- 2 Tbsp white poppy seeds I used white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Oil a rectangular heat-proof dish, about 9 x 13 inch size. Place the semolina flour in a large non-stick pan and toast it for about 2-3 minutes. It will turn slightly brown
- Add sugar, coconut cream, salt, eggs, water, and cooking oil to the pan. Mix until they are combined well with the semolina flour. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F
- Turn on the heat on the stove and cook the semolina mixture over moderate heat until it started to boil and then lower the heat and continue to stir and cook for about 20 minutes. The dough-like mixture will come away from the pan. Spoon this mixture into the rectangular dish you prepare earlier. Gently pack it down with a rubber spatula. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the surface. Sprinkle the seeds all over the surface
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes (depending on your oven). If the top is not golden brown, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler in the oven on low and let the cake brown a little bit. Keep a very close watch as they might get burned if you walk away. Remove from the oven and let it cool down before cutting. Serve at room temperature as snacks or dessert
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2 comments
Salt is mentioned in instructions, but not in Ingredient list… how much salt? Also, you have us pre-heating the oven, but never mention actually baking it. I’m pretty sure a step is missing? eg. Bake for 30-40 minutes?
Thanks!
Hi Ryan, you are right, a step was accidentally deleted from the recipe. I have updated the recipe accordingly. You baked for 30-40 minutes and then broil it to get the top some golden brown. I hope that helps to clarify