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slice of politiko Thessaloniki's cake

Politiko Thessalonikis (Greek Semolina Cake With Custard)

Indulge in Politiko Thessalonikis, a traditional Greek semolina cake, soaked in syrup with a creamy custard topping and cinnamon. Perfect for a sweet, luxurious treat
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Resting Time 4 hours
Total Time 5 hours
Course Dessert
Cuisine Greek
Servings 12
Calories 616 kcal

Ingredients
  

Syrup Ingredients

  • 500 ml water
  • 500 grams sugar
  • ½ lemon (juiced)
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Semolina Cake Ingredients

  • 500 grams semolina (coarse)
  • 150 grams sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅔ teaspoon mastiha
  • 350 ml milk (full cream)
  • ½ cup Greek yoghurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Custard Cream Ingredients

  • 700 ml milk (full cream)
  • 150 grams sugar
  • 100 grams corn starch
  • 2 eggs (yolks)
  • 1 cup cream (thickened)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 50 grams butter (unsalted)

Garnish

  • 2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Makes: 32 x 23cm rectangle

Instructions
 

  • To a saucepan, prepare the syrup by adding the water, sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil for about 1 minute, then turn it off to cool. 
  • In a large bowl, prepare the dry ingredients for the sponge. Add in the semolina, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and mastiha. Mix thoroughly to combine everything.
  • In a separate bowl, mix the milk, yoghurt, and vanilla.
  • Pre heat your oven to 180° celsius.
  • Pour your wet ingredient bowl into the dry bowl and mix thoroughly until you have a creamy texture.
  • To a baking dish, add a thin layer of a light oil. The size of my dish is 32cm long by 23cm wide.
  • Pour the batter to the dish and place into the oven. Cook for roughly 20mins until golden brown.
  • Once the sponge is cooked, remove from the oven and poke holes all over.
  • Pour your cooled syrup over the hot sponge. It will look like a lot of liquid, but it will soak in!
  • Set the dish aside to soak and prepare the custard cream.
  • In a large saucepan, add the milk, sugar, corn starch, egg yolks, cream, and vanilla. Continuously mix over the heat until it thickens. It’s important not to stop mixing as you don’t want to burn the bottom. It will thicken up fast.
  • Once thickened with a nice silky texture, turn off the heat and add the butter. Mix it through until it’s all melted, and the custard is creamy.
  • By now your sponge should have absorbed all the liquid. Pour the custard over the top of the sponge and evenly spread it over the top.
  • With a plastic film, cover the top of the custard so it doesn’t form a dry layer.
  • Let the cake come to room temperature, then place in the fridge to set, and cool for a couple of hours.
  • Remove the plastic from the top and sprinkle over a generous amount of ground cinnamon.
  • Cut it up and it’s ready to serve! Enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 616kcalCarbohydrates: 111gProtein: 11gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 70mgSodium: 211mgPotassium: 254mgFiber: 3gSugar: 72gVitamin A: 592IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 185mgIron: 2mg
Keyword greek semolina cake with custard, politiko thessalonikis
Tried this recipe?Post it on Instagram and tag me @nikolopaa