Carrot Semolina Cake

Burmese Semolina Cake or Sa Nwin Ma Kin is one of our very few sweet treats that is baked. Well, partially. Baking I know growing up isn’t straightforward as turning knobs and punching numbers in to set temperature and time. Kitchens may come in two – dry and wet, but ovens were hardly part of either because we seldom bake. Also, with unstable and inadequate electricity supply, unfortunately still the case in 2022, ovens just become a waste of space.

Made with toasted semolina flour, coconut milk, ghee and either bananas, sweet potatoes, or carrots, as seen here, this cake comes together easily in minutes but requires some elbow grease. Even this Burmese term of making this cake ‘htoe’ means aggressive mixing in a large wok, over low heat, till you get a thick, homogeneous batter. After being transferred into a cake pan, you can finish it off in the oven to create that delightful crusty top. Without ovens, this was done by placing hot coals on a flat metal lid to get heat all around. 

The golden crust, freckled with poppy seeds, envelopes a dense but moist and delicate cake within, with rich and gently sweetened flavors. Since this popular final course in every occasion is best served at room temperature, I zhuzhed it up with a drizzle of warm salted caramel, fresh whipped coconut cream and crisp cashew tuile for texture and temperature contrast as well as an extra touch of elegance.