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Sliced Cypriot carob syrup cake on a marble board, dark moist crumb, walnuts, and orange zest glistening with syrup

Cypriot Carob Syrup Cake: Sticky, Spiced, and Simple

A moist olive oil cake made with carob syrup instead of sugar, soaked in a warm carob-orange syrup as soon as it comes out of the oven.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 184
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cake
  • 250 g all-purpose flour
  • 80 g fine semolina not coarse
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 100 g walnuts, chopped toasted if you like
  • 2 eggs large
  • 120 ml olive oil mild, not peppery
  • 200 g carob syrup or date syrup
  • 100 g plain yogurt
  • 120 ml orange juice fresh if possible
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
Carob Syrup Soak
  • 150 g carob syrup
  • 100 ml water
  • 50 ml orange juice
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Method
 

Make the Batter
  1. Heat the oven to 180 C / 350 F. Grease a 23 cm / 9-inch round cake pan and line the base with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, semolina, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon together.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, olive oil, carob syrup, yogurt, orange juice, and orange zest until smooth.
  4. Pour the wet mix into the dry mix, add the walnuts, and fold with a spatula until no dry flour streaks remain. The batter should be thick and pour slowly off the spatula.
  5. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the top springs back when touched.
Soak and Serve
  1. While the cake bakes, combine the carob syrup, water, orange juice, and cinnamon stick in a 1-quart / 1 L saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened, then remove the cinnamon stick.
  2. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, poke holes across the top with a wooden skewer.
  3. Pour the warm syrup over the hot cake slowly, in 3 additions, letting each round soak in before adding the next.
  4. Let the cake rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes so the syrup fully absorbs before slicing.
  5. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • Use fine semolina, coarse semolina makes the crumb gritty.
  • Poke holes right after baking, while the cake is still hot.
  • Let the cake rest at least 30 minutes before slicing so the syrup sets.
  • Taste the carob syrup before you start, brands vary in sweetness.