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1
Butter and coat with fine dry breadcrumbs a 9 x 9 inch Pyrex pan.
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2
Set oven rack in the middle of the oven; preheat to 350u00b0.
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3
Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup sugar by hand in the bowl of an electric mixer.
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4
Place the bowl on the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whip the mixture on high speed until pale and thickened, about 4 minutes.
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5
While the eggs are whipping, stir the semolina and remaining 1/2 cup sugar together in a medium mixing bowl; stir in the sour cream.
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6
Dissolve the baking soda in the brandy in a small cup and stir into the semolina mixture; add in the orange zest and butter, stir to combine.
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7
When the egg mixture is ready, fold it into the semolina batter with a large rubber spatula.
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8
Scrape the cake batter into the prepared pan; smooth the top.
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9
Bake cake for about 30 minutes, or until it is well risen and deep golden and a pick comes out clean.
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10
Cool the cake on a rack for 10 minutes.
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11
While the cake is cookng, prepare the syrup: stir together all the ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium heat; let the syrup boil gently for 5 minutes.
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12
While the syrup is cooling, score the cake into 2 inch diamonds or rectangles with the point of a sharp knife, cutting about 1 inch into the cake.
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13
After the syrup is cooked, remove the lemon half from the syrup and slowly pour the syrup all over the top of the cake so that it is evenly absorbed.
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14
Cool completely.
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15
Serve: cut through the scoring marks completely with a sharp knife; use a flexible spatula to first loosen each piece of cake, then remove it from the pan.
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16
Only the first piece is difficult and may break slightly, the rest should come out easily.
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17
Storage: keep the cake pan covered with plastic wrap at a cool room temperature.
