Samali (Σάμαλι)

Samali is a Greek cake made with semolina, Greek yogourt, orange juice, sugar and it is flavoured with masticha (mastic). This uniquely prepared cake is baked and then an aromatic orange flavoured syrup is poured over top.

Growing up in a Greek home my parents made a wide variety of syrup soaked desserts. Greeks love sweet and sticky desserts. In fact, there is an entire class of sweets in Greek cooking called siropiasta, which translates to syrupy or syrup-soaked. There are many ways to get your syrup on! You can enjoy traditional Greek pastries like galaktoboureko or baklava or lesser known cakes like portokalopita and revani. These sweets are very popular and loved all over Greece. One of the lesser known siropiasta is samali, but I think it may actually be one of my favourites.

What is samali?

Samali (Σάμαλι), pronounced with the accent on the first syllable, is a lovely and not too popular syrup cake. This traditional Greek cake uses semolina instead of flour and Greek yogourt in lieu of eggs, fat, or other dairy. The flavour of masticha is traditional. Although you can omit the masticha, every effort should be made to find this uniquely flavoured plant resin, obtained from the mastic tree. Don’t worry, it’s not that difficult to find since you can order mastic here.

Key ingredients

Coarse semolina Semolina flour is made from durum wheat, which is the hardest variety of wheat. It has a high protein and gluten content and is pretty resistant to milling. You can get fine or coarse semolina; coarse semolina has a somewhat grittier texture than the fine version, but even the latter will not be as fine as regular flour. In samali the coarse semolina is part of what gives the cake a unique texture.

Baking powder & baking soda Both of these are used together as leavening agents for the cake.

Greek yogourt I use plain, full fat Greek yogourt when I make my samali. The yogourt provides the fat content to the cake, making it rich and creamy.

Superfine sugar I never purchase superfine sugar actually, because it can be hard to find, and when you do it tends to be pretty pricey. What I do instead is take regular granulated sugar and blend it up in a blender or food processor until it resembles a fine white powder. Using superfine sugar in the samali is lovely because you want to make sure that it dissolves completely in the cake.

Masticha (mastic powder) This is a very unique and special ingredient, a plant resin that comes from the mastic tree found on the island of Chios, Greece. Although it can be omitted, I really recommend that you try to find it. Fortunately, mastic powder is available online. It offers such a unique and lovely flavour to baked goods, one that really can’t be replaced with anything else.

Orange juice I like to use freshly squeezed orange juice because nothing beats the flavour!

Grated orange rind When grating the rind of your orange be sure not to include the white pith layer which can be bitter. My favourite tool for grating citrus is my microplane grater – it does such a great job, and is easy to use.

Vegetable oil I like the mild flavour of vegetable oil and the moisture that oil gives the cake.

Slivered almonds This is optional, but I really like decorating the top of my dessert with slivered almonds. They add a decorative touch and crunch that is quite nice.

For the syrup

Water Regular tap water or filtered water is fine here.

Sugar I use regular granulated sugar for the syrup because it will dissolve well in the boiling water.

Cinnamon stick. Typically when I add cinnamon to a syrup I use cinnamon sticks. This way I get the flavour of the cinnamon, without changing the colour of the syrup.

Orange juice Freshly squeezed juice is used to give the syrup a great orange flavour.

Orange peel I add orange peel because the oils of the orange (found in the peel) really have an intense orange flavour. I am careful not to include the white part of the peel however because this can impart a bitter taste.

How to make samali

The lovely flavour of the mastic is not the only unique thing about this cake. Samali is a dessert that you assemble, and then let sit for a few hours before baking it. This is to allow the semolina to soak up any liquid from the yogourt and orange juice. When the cake then gets baked, you end up with a crispy and toasty texture. Just lovely!

Step 1 – Make the syrup
Combine all of the syrup ingredients into a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer until the sugar dissolves then cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside, covered.

Step 2 – Make the cake
In a large mixing bowl combine the semolina, baking powder, baking soda, and mix until well combined. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a plastic spatula incorporate the rest of the ingredients (except for the slivered almonds) and mix well until everything is well combined.

Step 3 – Prepare the pan
Lightly grease a 8 x 10 inch rectangular baking pan and pour in the batter ensuring even distribution.

Step 4 – Allow to rest
Cover the cake batter with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for at least 2 hours or until the cake appears dry (the liquid has been absorbed).

Step 5 – Prepare for baking
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While your oven is coming to temperature, use a sharp knife to score your samali into your serving pieces. Top each piece with a slivered almond, if using.

Step 6 – Bake
Bake, uncovered, in the middle rack of your oven for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 7 – Add syrup
Remove from oven and immediately pour on the cooled syrup, being sure to distribute it evenly.

Step 8 – Hold on! You have to wait!
You should allow the samali to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving!

Baking tips and helpful hints

When grating your orange, and peeling it for use in the recipe be careful to avoid the white layer right under the peel. This tends to be bitter, and can affect the taste of your dessert.

You can purchase your masticha already ground up, or in chunks. Whenever possible I like to buy it in chunks which I then grind myself; this helps ensure that it is as fresh as possible. When I grind my masticha crystals I use a mortar and pestle which I line with parchment paper to make clean-up easier. Remember that masticha is a tree resin, and tends to get very sticky. If you do end up with a sticky mess that is hard to clean, place your dirty container (whatever it may be) in the freezer and then chip off the frozen bits of resin using a butter knife.

Whether you purchase masticha powder or masticha crystals, I keep them in the refrigerator. This keeps them fresher longer, but also helps when grinding up the crystals.

I make my own superfine sugar by blending or processing regular white granulated sugar in a blender or a food processor.

Watch video on how to make samali

Recipe substitutions

I like to use full-fat Greek yogourt in my recipe but you can use reduced fat yogourt if you prefer.

Instead of vegetable oil you can use another mild flavoured oil. You can also use olive oil (either entirely, or in part). Just keep in mind that the flavour and colour of your cake will be altered.

Although this recipe calls for coarse semolina, you can also use the finer semolina. The texture of your samali will be different, but it will work out just fine. I love to use the Clic brand of semolina (available in Canada and the United States), but you can definitely use what you prefer and have easily available.

Recipe variations

You can make lemon flavoured samali. Simply replace the orange juice, orange zest and orange peel with that of lemon. Otherwise, the recipe remains the same.

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Love samali and looking for some more siropiasta desserts? You’ve come to the right place!

Pantespani Light, fluffy and flavoured with orange – a basic sponge cake soaked in syrup

Karydopita Classic Greek walnut cake soaked in a sweet and sticky syrup

Ravani A delicious cake made with semolina and coconut

Watch us below make Greek revani with coconut!

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