Serves 10 people.
Total Cooking Time: 90 minutes
This is simply the yummiest pastry cake to have with coffee. I made one yesterday and had a couple pieces today. If you've never had a food orgasm I recommend you try this ASAP.
This recipe makes about 12-18 pieces. They are so rich you wont be able to eat more than 1 or 2 a day.
Ingredients (filling):
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup of sugar
- 1 cup of semolina (fine grind), cream of wheat, or rice flour
- 1/2 lemon peel - grated
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 litre of whole milk
- 1/2 - 1 cup of butter, melted
- 1 packet of filo pastry sheets
- 1 teaspoon of vainilla syrup.
Ingredients (syrup):
- 1 1/3 cups of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 1 slice of lemon peel
- 2 tablespoons of honey
You'll also need:
- A cooking brush
- Blender or food processor
- 28-30cm wide oven tray (tin/glass/clay)
- A VERY sharp knife or scissors (to cut through the pastry)
Make sure you defrost the filo pastry overnight before you start.
STEP 1) Prepare the syrup
Mix the water and sugar in a saucepan on medium fire until the sugar has been disolved. Add 2 tablespoons of honey and a slice of lemon peel. Turn the fire on low and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Set aside away from heat to let it cool and pour squeezed lemon juice on top.
STEP 2) Prepare the filling
You'll need a blender of food processor. First blend 2 eggs with half the sugar, then the other 2 eggs with the rest of the sugar and keep blending on high setting for 2 minutes until fluffy. Add the vainilla syrup, semolina, lemon juice and grated lemon peel. Continue blending and add 2 tablespoons of butter and the milk. Blend for 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Pour the blended filling into a saucepan on low fire and keep stirring while the mix warms up and starts becoming thicker. Keep stirring vigorously until consistency becomes that of a thick white sauce. Remove from heat and set aside.
STEP 3) Prepare the cake.
Count the fillo sheets and set half for the botom and half for the top. Melt 1/2 cup of butter and brush the bottom and sides of the tray with it.
Put the first fillo sheet on the tray brushing over it with more butter. Add the next sheet and brush butter over it again. Repeat the process until half of the sheets are layed out on the bottom with melted butter brushed over each one.
Pour the filling over the sheets and fold over the top sheet over it, brushing it with butter so the next sheet sticks to it. Then add the next sheet brushing it with butter again and keep going until all the bottom sheets have been done.
Continue by setting the top sheets one by one brushing lightly with butter one after another. Then fold the top sheets over buttering again until there are no sheets haging out from the sides of the pan.
STEP 4) Cut the pieces, bake, pour syrup and eat!
Most of the hard work is done now. Cut through the pastry dividing the cake into 12-18 pieces BEFORE you put in the oven, this is hard to do and does not need to be perfect, you may use a sharp knife or scissors.
The oven should be hot enough now. Place and cook for 30-40 minutes or until golden on top.
Pour the syrup over the hot cake making sure it goes on the sides and between the pieces, this will be soaked up creating a thick sweet crust. At this point you may also add some cinnamon powder on top for decoration.
Let it cool before eating. Prepare a cup of delicious espresso and.. ATTACK!!