- 1/2 cup semolina flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/3 cups walnuts (4 oz), chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh orange zest
- 4 large eggs
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- Accompaniment:sour cherry compote
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pulse flours, 1 cup walnuts, and salt in a food processor until nuts are finely chopped.
- Beat together butter, sugar, and zest in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in nut flour and spread batter evenly in a buttered 8-inch square metal pan. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/3 cup walnuts.
- Bake in middle of oven until golden and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack. Make syrup while cake bakes:
- Simmer all syrup ingredients in a 1-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved, 10 to 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Finish cake:
- Evenly brush warm syrup over hot cake and cool completely in pan on rack. Cut into diamonds.