Samali is a semolina cake flavoured with syrup and mastic (mastiha) and soaked with a sweet syrup
Σάμαλι. Greeks love sweet and sticky desserts. There is an entire class of desserts called Siropiasta, which loosely translates to syrupy or syrup-soaked. There are many ways to get your syrup on! You can enjoy traditional Greek pastries like galaktoboureko or baklava or lesser known cakes like portokalopita and revani.
What is samali?
Another lovely and not too popular syrup cake is samali (pronounced with the accent on the first syllable). This traditional Greek cake uses semolina instead of flour and Greek yogourt in lieu of eggs, fat, or other dairy. The flavour of mastic is traditional. Although you can omit the mastic, every effort should be made to find this uniquely flavoured plant resin, obtained from the mastic tree. Don’t worry, it’s not that difficult to find since you can order mastic here.
How to make samali
The lovely flavour of the mastic is not the only unique thing about this cake. Samali is a dessert that you assemble, and then let sit for a few hours before baking it. This is to allow the semolina to soak up any liquid from the yogourt and orange juice. When the cake then gets baked, you end up with a crispy and toasty texture. Just lovely!
Helpful hints
What type of semolina is used to make this syrup-soaked cake?
Although this recipe calls for coarse semolina, you can also use the finer semolina. The texture of your samali will be different, but it will work out just fine. We love to use the Clic brand of semolina, but you can definitely use what you prefer and have easily available.
Love samali and looking for some more siropiasta desserts? You’ve come to the right place!
Watch us below make Greek revani with coconut!
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Samali (Σάμαλι)
Equipment
- 1 8 x 10 inch baking pan
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups coarse semolina
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups Greek yogourt, plain
- 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar see Recipe Note
- 1/2 tsp ground masticha (mastic powder) see Recipe Note
- 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tbsp grated orange rind
- vegetable oil for lightly coating baking pan
- slivered almonds for decorating cake
For the syrup
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- orange peel, white pith removed
Instructions
For the syrup
- Combine all of the syrup ingredients into a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and set aside, covered.1 1/2 cup water, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 cinnamon stick, orange peel, white pith removed, 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
For the cake
- In a large mixing bowl combine the semolina, baking powder, baking soda, and mix until well combined. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a plastic spatula incorporate the rest of the ingredients and mix well until everything is well combined.2 cups coarse semolina, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 1/4 cups Greek yogourt, plain, 1 1/3 cups superfine sugar, 1/2 tsp ground masticha (mastic powder), 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed, 1 tbsp grated orange rind
- Lightly grease a 8 x 10 inch rectangular baking pan and pour in the batter ensuring even distribution.vegetable oil for lightly coating baking pan
- Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 2 hours or until the cake appears dry (the liquid has been absorbed).
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use a sharp knife to score your samali into your serving pieces. Top each piece with a slivered almond.slivered almonds
- Bake, uncovered, in the middle rack of your oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven and immediately pour on the cooled syrup, being sure to distribute it evenly.
- Allow to rest for approximately 30 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
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