I am going to try and get this post out before my head falls onto the keyboard in utter exhaustion. I am not sure which time zone I am in at the moment, but I know that I am not really in my own. It is somewhere between here and Madrid – but I still managed to get all my errands done this weekend – and drive the kids all around the city. Yes, I am finding that I am not only a Mom with a full-time job, I now have a part-time role as a chauffer.
Coconut anything still fascinates me. I love that tropical flavor it has – and all of a sudden I close my eyes, and I am on the beach wearing my straw hat (the sun is not good for you). I am also a sucker for simple yet strange recipes – which this one definitely qualifies for. I saw this recipe in Bon Appetit months ago. At first glance, there were not a lot of ingredients, and one of them was coconut milk. Then I read the description – I could almost taste the cake before I made it. The thought of a creamy and custardy cake was exactly what I was in the mood for.
This cake was very interesting. Without the coconut ice-cream, I was not overly impressed. I did like the texture of the cake – although it didn’t have ton of flavor – that was until the coconut ice-cream went on top – then I felt like I was on vacation. It’s just amazing how food can do that, and boy do I need a vacation – with some coconut ice-cream on the side please.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly, divided, plus more
- 1¼ cups semolina flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 14-oz. can coconut milk
- 1½ cups half-and-half
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Coconut ice cream and toasted unsweetened coconut flakes (for serving)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425°. Butter an 8×8” baking dish. Toast semolina in a large dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until darkened and nutty-smelling, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
Whisk egg, coconut milk, half-and-half, sugar, salt, and 1 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in semolina and bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking, until mixture is very thick and pulls away from the sides of saucepan, about 4 minutes. Scrape batter into baking dish.
Bake cake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45–50 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack. Brush cake with remaining 1 Tbsp. butter; let cool slightly. Serve with coconut ice cream, topped with coconut flakes.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Burmese Semolina Cake
First Look, Then Cook 