Over a decade ago I was in Greece to attend to attend the Sani Resort’s Gourmet Food Festival. After the festival I had another 20 days to myself – time spent with family and friends.
After one of those long drawn out lunches of fish and seafood, the owner brought us a “kerasma” or treat of some pastries and I really liked the Politiko or Byzantino.
It’s a sponge cake flavoured with mahlepi and mastiha spices (the same ones in Tsoureki). The cake is soaked in a syrup and topped with a pastry cream. A dusting of cinnamon and it’s ready.
Add Politiko Thessaloniki to your dessert repertoire.
Politiko Thessaloniki
Course: Featured12
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
- For the Syrup
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
1 cinnamon stick (2 inch long)
2 pieces of lemon peel and juice of 1/2 lemon
- Semolina Cake
1/2 cup of strained yogurt (sour cream is fine)
2 large eggs
1 cup full fat milk
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups fine semolina flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground mastiha
1 tsp. ground mahlepi
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- For the Pastry Cream
5 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup corn starch
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
- Garnish
ground cinnamon
- Equipment Needed
13″ x 9″ pan
hand mixer
Directions
- For the syrup, add all the ingredients into a medium pot and turn heat to medium and once aboil, simmer for 8 minutes, turn off heat and allow to cool.
- For the semolina cake, preheat the oven to 350F. Into a large bowl, add the yogurt, eggs, milk, sugar and beat with hand mixer for 5 minutes. In another bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, mastina, mahlepi, cinnamon and mix with a fork.
- Add dry into wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Grease your pan with some softened butter or cooking spray. Transfer to your pan. Pre-heat your oven to 350F. Place in pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes or until cake is baked (poke a toothpick in center and it should come out clean).
- Take the cake out of the oven and pour syrup over the entire cake one ladle at a time. Allow to cook completely.
- Place 4 cups of milk in a large pot and bring up to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, to a boil add the remaining cup of milk, eggs, sugar, corn starch and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
- When the milk begins to boil, take off the heat. While whisking the custard mix, slowly ladle the scalded milk.
- Pour the contents back into the pot and whisk over medium heat until pastry cream has thickened. Take off the heat, add butter and whisk in until melted. Place plastic wrap over it and allow to cool.
- Spread cooled pastry cream over the cake and smooth out with evenly with a spatula. Place in the fridge for minimum 8 hours.
- Before serving, dust top of the pastry cream with ground cinnamon, cut and serve.
Notes
- Mahlepi and mastiha spices can be found at Greek and Middle Eastern Shops.
