French Semolina Cake (Gâteau de Semoule) is a classic French dessert made with semolina, eggs and milk, lightly set and served chilled with caramel or a simple custard sauce. It's easy, budget-friendly and ideal for making ahead.
Think of it as a lightly set semolina custard, somewhere between a cake and a pudding. Serve with a light crème anglaise for the best result.
In a word, YUM! - Mariana
Easy Semolina Cake Recipe (Gâteau de Semoule)
If you only cook the semolina with milk and sugar, you already have a classic hot semolina pudding - soft, creamy and comforting.
This French version takes it one step further: eggs are added, it's baked, then chilled and sliced for a lighter, more elegant dessert.
From Semolina Pudding to Chilled French Cake
This recipe is inspired by Bernard and Dominique Loiseau's Cuisine en Famille - where simple pantry ingredients are transformed into something far more refined.
Once baked and chilled, the texture becomes lightly set and sliceable - closer to a delicate custard than a heavy pudding.
Best Semolina Cake - Comfort Food from the Pantry
How many of you remember hot Semolina Pudding from the 1970s and 1980s? While some don't consider them fond memories, I do. Delicious nostalgia of Mum and Dad serving this as one of our most comforting winter desserts, as my brother and I were growing up in Scotland. We'd enjoy it scalding hot in large, purple-rimmed bowls with a blob of strawberry jam on top that sit on top of a thin creamy film that had set. Sheer Bliss.
This isn't just the best semolina cake but it's pantry cooking at its finest. Even with little in the house, this dessert can be made quickly and yet can last for a couple of days.
If you do have leftovers, serve for breakfast with fresh blueberries, raspberries or dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.
Two Different Semolina Recipes: Pudding vs Cake
Before even adding the eggs - I leaned in for a taste of nostalgia. Semolina pudding; my Madeleine de Proust. Happy memory taste indeed but this time it doesn't stop there! Even without that jam, I couldn't help myself from taking a spoon, then another spoon, a larger spoon - until I had to stop to continue this recipe!
Needless to say - at this point you could serve the semolina pudding just like this, without the rest of the recipe.
What is Semolina Cake Made Of?
You'll need just a few basic ingredients for this French semolina cake:
- Milk - best made with whole dairy milk. If you don't have fresh milk, UHT milk is ideal from the pantry - or any other nutty or oat milks of your choice.
- Semolina - use fine or medium grain, depending on how you like the texture.
- Vanilla - Although vanilla is classic, replace with the grated zest of an orange or lemon for a citrus version.
- Eggs - eggs are separated for the best results. Use large organic.
- Sugar - I often reduce the amount of sugar than indicated - especially if making the caramel. So, if you like even less sugar, then reduce by about 25g.
- Golden raisins - although an option, we love it with. They add an extra natural sweetness.
Is Semolina Gluten Free?
Semolina is not gluten free as it's made of durum wheat.
How to Make French Semolina Cake from Scratch (Gâteau de Semoule)
Just whisk together the sugar and 2 egg yolks until light and creamy then add to the hot, creamy semolina.
Optional Caramel Baked Topping
For a classic finish, pour a quick caramel into the base of your mould before adding the semolina mixture. As it bakes, the caramel melts into a light sauce that coats the cake when turned out.
Use any deep cake or loaf tin - a fluted brioche mould gives a more traditional look but isn't essential.
If you're new to caramel, follow my step-by-step method used in crème caramel for a reliable result every time.
For more detailed techniques and variations on French custards and caramel desserts, see my Master Crème Caramel e-book.
Whisk up the egg whites, adding to the semolina then pour on top of the caramel and bake. Leave to cool then upturn the mould on to a serving plate and chill until ready to serve.
How to Serve French Semolina Cake
Serve chilled 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 coulis sauce such as cherry sauce or mango sauce.
- Warmed jam - try spiced plum jam
- Fried apples in vanilla sugar and butter (thanks, Martyn!) or apple 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 or medium
- 1 vanilla pod/bean or ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder/extract
- 2 large eggs separated (organic)
- 100 g (3.5oz/½ cup) sugar
- 1 tablespoon golden raisins (or dried cranberries)
Caramel (optional)
- 150 g (5.5oz/¾ cup) sugar
- 3 tablespoon water
Instructions
Cook the Semolina:
- Cut the vanilla pod down the middle using a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. In a large saucepan, boil the milk with the vanilla pod and its seeds (or powder/extract). Rain in the semolina and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened for about 10 minutes. Add the golden raisins.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 2 egg yolks with the sugar until light and creamy. Add the hot semolina to this mixture and whisk or stir until well combined. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming.
Caramel (optional):
- Meanwhile, prepare the caramel by placing the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once boiling, leave it to bubble without touching it and keep an eye on it for about 5 minutes. The caramel should turn brown and smell beautifully of caramel. Take it off the heat immediately and pour into the bottom of the mould.
Cook the Semolina Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan/Gas 6)
- Whisk the egg whites separately in another bowl using either an electric hand whisk or stand mixer. Stir into the semolina mixture until well combined.
- Pour into the mould over the caramel and bake for 25-30 minutes, covered with foil. Leave to cool on the counter then upturn the mould on to a serving plate and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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!)