Political cake, semolina cake, and mahlep cream

Ingredients

• 500 g of fine semolina (also known as “irmik”)
• 400 g of powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground mastic (a type of resin) mixed with 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom
• 1 packet of baking powder (approximately 11 g)
• 1 package of baking soda
• 350 ml of milk
• 400 g of sugar
• 700 ml of water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves of cloves
• 1 liter of milk
• 150 g of sugar
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
• 1 vanilla packet
• 3 tablespoons of butter

Grind the mastic with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a blender until it forms a fine powder.

In a bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for the cake, except for the baking soda.

Mix the bicarbonate with the milk and stir for 15 seconds to activate it.

Pour the milk and baking soda mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until a smooth paste forms.

Lightly grease a rectangular baking dish, pour in the dough, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160 °C with a circulating fan for 50 minutes.

In a saucepan, combine all the cream ingredients except the vanilla and butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.

Pour the cream into another container, add the vanilla extract and butter, then beat with an electric mixer. Cover tightly with cling film and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely for at least 2 hours at room temperature.

For the syrup, combine the sugar, water, and spices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the syrup thickens slightly.

Remove the syrup from the heat and pour it slowly, using a ladle, over the cold cake. Allow it to soak in for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Spread the cream evenly over the soaked cake using a spoon, and smooth it out with a spatula.

Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 3 hours.

When serving, sprinkle with ground cinnamon and serve very cold. Enjoy!