Sugee Cake

Sugee is a popular Eurasian cake in Singapore. In other places, it is called semolina cake.  The middle east folks do this cake, so do the Indians.

I think the secret to sugee cakes is the fragrant semolina and nuts in the cake. To me, the most important thing is to make sure the semolina and almond meal is toasted till golden-medium brown. When your kitchen smells wonderful of nuts, I think that’s the almond meal is ready.

It has the benefit of having a lower GI than white flour. Semolina has a GI of 44, making it suitable for diabetics.

Sugee Cake

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients

  

Meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 50 g equivalent of caster sugar

Butter Cream mixture

• 225 g Butter unsalted
• 150 g equivalent of caster sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp of rose water or milk
• 1 Tablespoon brandy optional - I used cordon bleu - or replace with milk, coconut milk
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 220 g of semolina flour + toasted almond meal I used 120g of almond and the rest semolina flour, Yotam Ottolenghi used 1/4 semolina, the rest almond. Do what you like!
• 23 cm round cake tin
• 1 tsp lemon zest optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven at 160C.
• Mix the semolina and almond meal and toast till golden to medium brown. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar until almost white.
• Emulsify egg yolk into the cream, one at a time.
• Add the brandy, salt, rose water and vanilla essence.
• Fold in the flours.
• Beat egg whites, sugar and cream of tar tar till soft peaks.
• Fold in the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture 1/3 at a time.
• Bake for 55 minutes.
• The cake seldom cracks, and will shrink a little when cooled.

Here’s a version made with pistachio instead of almond flour by Yotam Ottolenghi. It makes your tastebuds sing and dance. 🙂