Basbousa
Make traditional basbousa, a syrup-soaked semolina cake from the Middle East, with tips on serving and storage.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 30 min
- Yield
- 25 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 340 g coarse semolina
- 80 g melted salted butter
- 160 g Greek style yoghurt
- 140 g caster sugar (fine sugar (not powdered))
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in the US)
- 60 g desiccated coconut
- 60 ml whole milk
- 400 g white sugar
- 250 ml water
- 2 tbsp rose water or orange flower water
- 30 whole almonds (peeled or not, up to you)
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp ghee or butter (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven before starting to 180℃/350℉.Tip the semolina into a large bowl and pour the melted butter all over. Stir well with a wooden spoon and ensure that all the semolina is coated with the butter. Set aside.
- 2
Mix the yoghurt, sugar, baking and bicarbonate soda and stir to mix. Set aside.The baking soda will start working to create a slightly frothy mixture while we get everything else going.
- 3
Mix the tahini and ghee. Not keen on one or the other? Just use what you like. You can also just use melted butter to grease the pan.Don't use too much, as the tahini will bubble up to the surface in the corners and your basbousa corners will taste like halva!
- 4
Mix the cornflour and coconut and tip onto the soaked semolina. Stir well with a wooden spoon.
- 5
Pour in the yoghurt mix and milk and fold gently with a spatula or wooden spoon. Do not overmix, keep it light.
- 6
Pour this basbousa batter into your greased baking dish. Take a small knife and cut squares or diamonds in the batter.
- 7
Top each shape with an almond, as in the images/video.
- 8
Bake in the pre heated oven for 30 minutes. Bake it for 5 - 10 minutes more if not fully browned.I have to go a full 40 minutes before I'm happy with the colour in the middle. This depends on how hot your oven runs.
- 9
At the 20 minute mark, bring the water and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan, reduce heat to its lowest setting, and simmer for 5 minutes. Leave it on the hot hob if your basbousa isn't done yet.
- 10
Stir in the rose water or orange flower water.
- 11
When the basbousa is done, cut through once again, and pour the hot syrup all over.It's your choice whether to use the whole syrup or not. You could pour half of it if you think it's too much. You can always serve the basbousa with the rest of the syrup; people can top up if they want.I tend to use all the syrup, giving me a soft, syrupy cake.
- 12
Leave to cool and serve.It's better the next day. Will keep on the kitchen counter, covered, for 5 days, in the fridge for 7.