Banana Sesame & Semolina Cake

Growing up, my brother and I were quite honestly obsessed with a simple banana milkshake that we had for breakfast, dessert, or any meal in between all meals. The milkshake consisted of bananas, milk, cinnamon, vanilla, and lots of sugar.

It wasn’t until my grandmother from Morocco, Moey, had brought back and introduced us to the beauty that is Orange Blossom Water, that we started adding it to this staple shake in the Lahbichi household.

This cake is inspired by this scrumptious milkshake that is nostalgic to my brother and I, the flavors and ingredients of Morocco, and my obsessive love of tahini.

Grab some overripe bananas and enjoy!

Banana Sesame & Semolina Cake

Serves: 10-12

Time: 40-45 minutes (+ cool time)

INGREDIENTS

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup semolina flour (I prefer the brand from Caputo’s)

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup tahini (you want to choose tahini that has a runny texture)

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil (or olive oil)

• 3/4 cup oat milk (or milk of choice

• 2 large overripe bananas (you want the skin of the banana to be more than spotty, and almost black; see notes regarding speeding up the ripening process)

• 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water (please do not substitute this, if you MUST then replace with vanilla extract)

• Orange Blossom Glaze, for garnish (see notes for recipe)

• Sesame Seeds, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a rack in the MIDDLE of the oven. Grease a 9-inch cake pan and line with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients (the semolina flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside once combined.

3. In a medium bowl, mash the two overripe bananas. You want to mash them until they turn into a liquid with a couple of chunks remaining.

4. In the same bowl, whisk in the tahini, vegetable oil, oat milk, apple cider vinegar, and orange blossom water.

5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until JUST combined. Do your best not to overmix the batter, as this will activate the gluten and result in a tougher cake.

6. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan. Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. The cake is ready when a clean toothpick comes out of the center of the cake.

7. Let cool for 30-40 minutes.

8. While cooling, make orange blossom glaze (see notes)

9. Once cool, pour the orange blossom glaze over the cake. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with a glass of milk, a cup of coffee, or a sip of tea.

10. Dive in!

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NOTES

Orange Blossom Glaze

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon orange blossom water (or more as needed)

• 1-2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk (I prefer to use oat milk)

• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (aka powdered sugar)

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• pinch of sea salt

Directions

1. In a bowl, add the confectioners’ sugar, orange blossom water (add another 1/2 tablespoon if a stronger floral taste is desired), tahini, and sea salt. Whisk until combined

2. If the glaze is too thick, add milk of choice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until smooth and creamy. The glaze should not be too runny snd should stick to the back of a spoon.

3. Pour the glaze over the cake (I like to poke some holes on the surface of the cake to help the glaze seep into the interior of the cake).