French Semolina Cake (Gâteau de Semoule) is an easy French dessert made with semolina, milk and eggs. Served chilled, it's somewhere between a cake and a pudding and is traditionally topped with crème anglaise, fruit sauce or nuts. Best of all, it's budget-friendly comfort food made from simple pantry ingredients.
In a word, YUM! - Mariana
What is Semolina Cake?
Semolina cake is a dessert made with semolina, milk, eggs and sugar. Unlike a traditional sponge cake made with flour, semolina cake has a softer texture with a delicate grain from fine semolina.
Many countries have their own versions. In France, gâteau de semoule starts with cooked semolina similar to a creamy pudding. Eggs are then added before baking, creating a dessert that can be chilled, sliced and served with fruit sauces, nuts or custard.
It's one of those wonderfully simple French desserts that transforms basic pantry ingredients into something surprisingly elegant.
From Semolina Pudding to French Semolina Cake
Before adding the eggs, you'll have something very close to a classic semolina pudding. In fact, I find it difficult not to sneak a spoonful or two at this stage - a childhood favourite that still tastes wonderfully comforting. That's my own little Madeleine de Proust moment (explained in my lemon madeleines).
The difference is what happens next. Once eggs are added and the mixture is baked, the texture changes completely. After chilling, the dessert becomes firm enough to slice while remaining soft and creamy inside.
That's what makes French semolina cake different from a simple pudding.
What is Semolina Cake Made Of?
You'll only need a handful of everyday ingredients:
- Milk - whole milk gives the creamiest result - or if you prefer, use any other nutty or oat milks of your choice.
- Semolina - fine semolina creates a smooth texture while medium semolina adds more bite.
- Eggs - Use 2 large or 3 medium organic.
- Vanilla - a classic flavouring, although orange or lemon zest works beautifully too.
- Sugar - I've reduced the sugar from the original recipe.
- Golden raisins - optional but they add natural sweetness and texture.
Based on Bernard and Dominique Loiseau's family recipe from Cuisine en Famille, I reduced the sugar considerably while keeping the original texture and flavour.
How to Make French Semolina Cake
Heat the milk (don't boil) with the vanilla and salt then rain in the fine semolina. Stir for about 10 minutes then whisk together the sugar and eggs until light and creamy then add to the warm semolina mixture. Pour into the mould and bake.
Leave to cool then chill until ready to serve.
Optional Caramel Variation
For a more traditional presentation, add a thin layer of caramel to the base of the mould before pouring in the semolina mixture. As it bakes, the caramel melts into a light sauce. For detailed caramel techniques and more French custard desserts,
see my Master Crème Caramel guide.
Is Semolina Gluten Free?
No. Semolina is made from durum wheat and naturally contains gluten.
If you need a gluten-free dessert, try a classic French crème caramel, rice pudding or another naturally gluten-free desserts instead.
What Does Semolina Cake Taste Like?
French semolina cake tastes light, milky and delicately sweet, with a texture somewhere between rice pudding and a baked dessert.
Unlike sponge cakes, it's not fluffy. Instead, the semolina creates a soft, slightly grainy texture that becomes wonderfully refreshing when served chilled.
The flavour itself is quite subtle, which is why the French often serve it with crème anglaise, fruit sauces, berries, toasted nuts or caramel. Raspberry coulis and pistachios are one of my favourite combinations.
How to Serve
Serve chilled or at room temperature in slices, ideally with a classic thin vanilla crème anglaise. Here are more ideas for toppings:
- Chilled Crème Anglaise, thin French custard sauce is the ultimate classic. Top with fresh or tinned fruit and/or with a fruit sauce such as raspberry coulis, cherry sauce or mango sauce.
- Warmed spiced plum jam
- Top with toasted pistachios, walnuts or pine nuts
- Fried apples in vanilla sugar and butter (thanks, Martyn!), apple sauce or salted caramel sauce
- Roasted rhubarb: roast chunks in orange juice with a sprinkling of sugar in 180°C/160°C fan oven for 10 minutes
- Spoon over rhubarb compote.
French Semolina Cake (Gâteau de Semoule)
Equipment
- Loaf tin (900g / 2lb) (9x5inch)
Ingredients
- 1 litre (1.75 pints/ 4 cups) whole milk or milk of your choice
- 125 g (4.5oz/ ⅔ cup) semolina fine
- 1 vanilla pod/bean or ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract or powder
- 3 eggs (organic)
- 50 g (2oz/¼ cup) sugar
- 1 tablespoon golden raisins (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt fleur de sel
Instructions
- Cut the vanilla pod down the middle using a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. In a large saucepan, heat the milk with the vanilla pod and its seeds (or powder/extract) and salt. Rain in the semolina and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened for about 10 minutes. Add the golden raisins if using.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan/Gas 6) and grease the tin with a little butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs with the sugar until light and creamy. Add the hot semolina to this mixture and stir until well combined.
- Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes. Leave to cool on the counter then refrigerate for 2-4 hours.When ready to serve, upturn the mould on to a serving plate.
Notes
This post was first published April 3rd 2020 but has now been completely updated without the caramel and less sugar.
Mariana R
In a word, YUM!
Jill Colonna
Thanks Mariana. Happy to hear you love this too!
Beckey
Hi Jill...I'm making this recipe for my french friend, who is turning 60, at the request of HIS friends back in France. I have Semolina flour. Do you think it will bake well in muffin pans and actually sit nicely on a platter to spell out 60?
Jill Colonna
Hi Beckey,
What an original idea! I've never heard of this as a birthday cake but why not? While it should work no problem, I would strongly recommend you do a practise round first (with half quantity, for example) as it's for a special occasion to check out your moulds. Plus, very French, please serve it with the crème anglaise - classic with vanilla or replace the chai tea with Earl Grey. Let me know how you get on. What a lucky friend!
Christina Conte
I don't remember eating semolina, but I'm sure I did. What I DO remember is making it for my children. It was definitely one of their favorite breakfasts and I felt good about serving it to them (no sugar added). I've never made anything like this with semolina, but I have no doubt I would love it! I had to laugh at your, "love the look of it, even though there are no pictures," hahaha!
One more for the list to try!
Jill Colonna
I bet your kids have the most delicious memories of you making it for them. Julie and Lucie become all sentimental on simple dishes they remember when they were little (the ones I've even forgotten myself) and it generates warm fuzzy feelings. Yes, just the look of a recipe without even a photo gets me excited. It's like reading a book and not even seeing the film version, lol.
JUNE STOBIE
When you were little Jill money was tight with only one salary so semolina pudding was cheap with home made jam on top. I am amazed at your very posh version - love it. I can only think of a glace cherry to put on top.
Jill Colonna
It was maybe cheap but I've got the most delicious memories of it at home, Mum. Love the idea of a glacé cherry!
Linda
Thanks so much for this recipe Jill! Another Scottish childhood semolina pudding lover here. And thank you too for the recipes recently with almond or oat milk - very much appreciated as the mum of a dairy-intolerant person. I don't have a bundt or brioche tin handy - mine is in Edinburgh for the duration. I do have deep-sided cake tins - would that do as well? What capacity was the brioche mould you used?
Jill Colonna
It's a delicious pleasure, Linda. Deep cake tins sound perfect. Anything will do, really. My brioche tin or Charlotte tin (18cm diameter/8cm deep) are standard. Thanks for mentioning the mould, as I've just updated about the tins. Just thought that even a Savarin mould would be lovely (hole in middle can be filled with fresh fruit, candied fruit or even stewed fruit!)