Semolina Cake With Yogurt And Almonds

1. Place almonds in a blender, and blend until they look finely chopped (not too powdered). Set aside.
2. Carefully separate the egg yolks from the egg whites so there is no residue of yolk in the egg whites.
3. Place the egg whites in the bowl of your electric mixer and with the whisk attachment on, start beating on medium-high speed.
4. Once the egg whites start to get foamy, start adding spoonfuls of the sugar, slowly one at a time, until you incorporated half of the sugar (the remaining half is to be used with the yolks). Keep beating until you get a thick meringue that won't drop from the spoon. Note: If you add the sugar right from the start, or all at once into the egg whites they will curdle. That's why sugar is always added once the egg whites start to thicken and always slowly in bits at a time.
5. Set the meringue aside and start beating the egg yolks. Again over medium-high speed, adding the remaining half of the sugar slowly in bits at a time until they get really foamy and thick. Reduce speed to medium, and slowly incorporate the yogurt into the egg yolks.
6. Preheat oven at 180°C  / 356°F.
7. In a small bowl, mix together the brandy or scotch, the ground cinnamon, ground mahleb (or nutmeg), and the baking soda. Then pour this into the yolk and yogurt mixture.
8. While still beating the batter, incorporate the semolina in batches. Then turn off the mixer and with a pastry spatula incorporate the almonds into the batter.
9. Then incorporate the meringue into batches very gently and slowly so it keeps foamy.
10. Place the batter in a butter or oil-greased pan 25 x 30 cm (10 x 12-inch) or baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes until deep golden on top or until when you prick it with a knife, and the knife comes out clean.
11. Let cake sit at room temperature for about 1 hour until it gets lukewarm. Then start making the syrup.

For The Syrup:

1. Place all of the ingredients for the syrup in a cooking pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves.
3. Cut the cake pieces into 12 large square pieces or cut the squares in half triangles=24 smaller pieces. Pour the hot syrup over the cake. Mix together the 40 grams of ground almonds along with the ½ teaspoon of cinnamon that's for topping, and sprinkle all over on top.
4. No need to refrigerate this cake. You can store at room temperature for about a week. But if you prefer a cold cake, then let it cool down completely at room temperature before refrigerating.