Σάμαλι πολίτικο

Samali with mastic

A semolina and yogurt cake from Constantinople, scented with Chios mastic, baked until golden and soaked in lemon and cinnamon syrup overnight.

Prep
15 min
Rest
30 min
Bake
45–50 min
Soak
Overnight
Makes
20 pieces

Ingredients

Tap an ingredient once it’s measured.

Samali
Syrup
To serve

Cups are Greek coffee cups. A standard 240 ml cup works fine. Mastic grinds more easily with a pinch of the sugar.

Method

  1. In a large bowl, mix the yogurt with the 1½ cups of sugar.

  2. Dissolve the baking soda in the water and stir it into the yogurt.

  3. Add the mastic and lemon zest, then rain in the semolina a little at a time, stirring by hand or with a spoon so it doesn’t form lumps. Keep going until the batter is smooth.

  4. Butter a 24 × 30 cm baking pan well. Pour in the batter and smooth the top.

  5. Leave it to stand for 30 minutes so the semolina swells. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180 °C with top and bottom heat. For a fan oven, use 160 °C.

  6. Bake on the lower rack (middle rack for fan) for 45 to 50 minutes, until deeply golden and the grains of semolina have burst. After about 30 minutes, once it’s browning well, take it out, score it into diamonds and put it back.

  7. While it bakes, make the syrup: boil the sugar, water, lemon peel, lemon juice and cinnamon over medium heat for 5 minutes until it thickens. Keep it hot.

  8. Take the cake out and, while it’s hot, run the knife along the score lines again, dipping it in very hot water before each cut so the top stays neat.

  9. Pour the hot syrup over a little at a time. The cake will drink all of it.

  10. Leave it overnight to cool completely and soak.

  11. Serve each piece with a scoop of kaimaki ice cream and a scatter of chopped pistachios.

Getting the syrup right

Brown it properly
A well-browned samali soaks up its syrup right to the last grain. An underbaked one won’t, so don’t pull it early.
Use a wide pan
A large pan keeps the samali thin, so it bakes golden red all the way through.
Cut it the next day
Syrupy pan desserts soak more evenly if you leave the final cut until the following day.
Flip the tray
Once the syrup is on and the cake is completely cold, wrap the pan airtight in cling film and turn it upside down on the counter for an hour. The syrup that has pooled at the bottom runs back through the whole cake. Turn it upright, let it settle, then unwrap. This works for walnut cake and revani too.