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Şambali
Şambali: İzmir's syrup-soaked semolina and yoghurt cake topped with almonds
Walk through İzmir's Kemeraltı bazaar and you'll see huge copper trays of şambali, cut into diamonds, each topped with a blanched almond and glistening with syrup. It is a dense, moist semolina cake made with yoghurt, sold by street vendors and old pastry shops, sometimes with a spoon of kaymak on top. Plainer than it looks and dangerously easy to eat. Chef's tip: rest the batter for a few hours, or overnight, so the semolina softens fully; otherwise the cake is gritty.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the cake
For the syrup
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz coarse semolina, 14 oz plain yoghurt, 5 ½ oz caster sugar, 2 ⅞ oz butter and 2 tsp baking powder into a thick batter. Cover and rest for at least 3 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
180 minStep 2: Boil 16 oz granulated sugar and 2 cups water for 10 minutes, add 1 tbsp lemon juice, then leave to cool completely.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Butter a 25 × 30 cm tin and press the batter in evenly with wet hands.
Step 4: Score into 24 diamonds and press one of the 24 blanched almonds into the centre of each.
Step 5: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer comes out clean.
40 minStep 6: Pour the cold syrup over the hot cake, a ladle at a time, until it's all absorbed. Common mistake: hot syrup on hot cake; it turns soggy and heavy. Leave for 2 hours before cutting.
120 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 370 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 70 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does şambali take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain yoghurt?
- Greek yoghurt loosened with a little milk.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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