Rustic Semolina Lemon & Rosemary Cake

Cake has been a relatively constant craving in my pregnancy.  Specifically, white wedding cake that has oodles of sugary frosting on it.  The irony behind this craving?  I typically abhor wedding cake - especially the frosting. 

I think that I've written in the past, that I'm typically the type of girl that would prefer a cookie or a piece of pie to a sugary piece of cake.  There are, however, exceptions to this rule - my Grandma Phyllis's Million Dollar Chocolate Cake and my late Grandma Boots's Cranberry Cake with the buttercream sauce.  Now, apparently, being preggo is also an exception to this rule.

However, even when my hormones are not raging and the little occupant in my body isn't demanding a sugary fix, I think this cake will be something I make in the future.  With flavors of lemon and rosemary, and its slightly crunchy texture from the coarse ground cornmeal, this is an interesting alternative to traditional cakes.

The cake is Rustic Semolina Lemon & Rosemary Cake and I found it at Italian Food Forever's blog.   Just a couple of notes / changes that I made adapting this recipe.

1) The recipe calls for 1/4 c. of fresh lemon juice but does not specify when to add it.  I just added it after I had incorporated the eggs and extract into the sugar mix.
2) Recipe calls for 1 Teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia (Or 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla & 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Extracts).  I just used 1 tsp. of vanilla extract.
3) Recipe calls for 1 c. of fat-free Greek yogurt.  I was running out of Greek yogurt (FYI - I used vanilla Greek yogurt in my recipe), so I used a 1/2 c. of yogurt and a 1/2 c. of sour cream. 

If you're thinking about serving this with whipped cream - I would just whip together some barely sweetened heavy cream.  This cake doesn't look like it's going to be sweet, but it is - a perfect foil for the tartness of the berries.

Final verdict?  A good ending to any summer meal that's produced on the grill.