Baking for Beginners: Raspberry Syrup Cake

Waitrose is such a happy place. I know that's terribly middle class of me, but when I shop in Waitrose I come out with things I've never thought about buying before. I pop in for lunch and come out with a celeriac. If I'm in there on a Saturday is because I'm hungover and my goodness, it's like a whole Mecca of hangover treats. Including my favourite cake treat - raspberry namoura.

Namoura is an eggless and flourless cake. Instead it's made with semolina and stays moist after it's soaked in syrup for hours. Healthy this cake isn't. Mine didn't come out quite as pretty as the namoura in Waitrose but it's very tasty and it'll take you ten minutes to whip up and put in the oven. Tray bakes are my favourite.

Namoura (makes around 20 pieces, depending on the size of your tray). I used this Divine Treats recipe as a guide and then had a little bit of a play).


You'll need:


For the cake:

• 340g fine semolina (you'll find this in the 'world foods' section of your supermarket, if there's none in the baking aisle)
• 50g dessicated coconut
• 115g sugar
• 150g melted butter
• 250ml milk

For the syrup:

• 200g sugar
• 220ml water
• Half a punnet of raspberries

Make it!

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees/ gas mark four.
• Mix all of the dry cake ingredients together.
• Add the milk and butter and stir until everything is all mixed together.
• Pop in a greased baking tin and smooth with a spatula, then place in the oven for 30 minutes (see, this is really simple).
• Let the cake cool for about ten minutes, and then slice into squares or diamonds. Leave in the tray or you'll get syrup all over the kitchen.
• To make the syrup, squish the raspberries up with the back of a fork and then add the sugar and water to a pan on a high heat.
• Push the raspberries through a sieve and discard eat any large clumpy bits. If you have a sugar thermometer, you want to heat heat the syrup until it's at 109 degrees C/ 220 degrees F. If you don't have one of those, heat until it's sticking to the back of your stirring spoon.
• Once it's ready, carefully pour the syrup over the cake making sure it covers all of the corners and edges.
• Leave for a few hours for the syrup to soak in (you may want to go to the pub) and then cut up and devour in seconds.