It's one of SBS Food HQ's all-time favourites. A recipe by Amira Georgy in her episode with the incredible guide, Maeve O'Meara and one that gets its golden colour from the (many grams of) melted butter. It is basbousa.
Basbousa (basbussa, basboosa) has Ottoman roots. It is popular across many Middle Eastern countries known by many other names such as harissa, namoura and revani to name a few, and is an Egyptian and North African dessert mainstay. It is popular during Eid, Ramadan and Lent and is an egg-free cake that can be made lactose-free, by substituting the dairy butter for plant-based or using ghee or coconut oil, as well.
This sweet story begins with a semolina or farina batter. It's slightly thick, not overly sweet and the coconut is subtle throughout. It's cut into its signature diamond shape, topped with nuts either before and/or after it's baked and then finished off in a fragrant syrup. It can be as simple as a sugar syrup (1 ½ cups sugar to 1 cup water), orange blossom, or more commonly rosewater and lemon juice.
to our screens in the mid-2000s and I am going to dip my dessert-loving hat into it right here, right now. It uses the tried and tested method of 'cooled syrup meets hot cake' and the smell alone is reason enough to have one rotating in and out of the oven when at home.
Basbousa at your fingertips. Source: Farah Celjo
Semolina is calling
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine:
- 2½ cups semolina
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup caster sugar
- ½ cup self-raising flour
Add:
- 200 g Greek or thick yoghurt
- 200 g melted butter (you can also brown your butter if you love that extra nuttiness)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Mix well and Georgy recommends doing this with your hands to get the texture right. If the mixture is too thick and dense, you can add a tablespoon of milk or a little watered-down yoghurt to loosen it up, but it should still be somewhat firm, between dough and batter.
Spread the mixture with your hands into a buttered or lined 30 cm baking tray. You can also line your tin with tahini if you've got a jar in your pantry. Press down firmly and evenly and you can rest it for 30 mins if you have the time, but it's not a dealbreaker. Cut diamond shapes making sure to touch the bottom, this allows for the syrup to trickle between the layers. Place a blanched and peeled almond in the centre of each diamond and you can also use another nut that you have on hand as well.
Semolina, yoghurt, coconut and rosewater, plus a few pantry staples. Source: Farah Celjo
Bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden brown, especially around the tin's edges.
To make the sugar syrup, place the below in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil. Stirring until the sugar has dissolved:
Semolina cake dreams realised. Source: Farah Celjo
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 cup water
Simmer for 4-5 minutes without stirring to ensure the sugar doesn't crystallise.
Add
- 1-2 tsp rosewater
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Then set aside to cool. Pour cooled syrup over the hot cake immediately and let it sit and soak for 15-20 minutes. Finish in extra coconut and nuts for added crunch.
A friend of mine told me that basbousa in Arabic is sometimes used as a term of endearment for our loved ones, so be sure to share your basbousa with your basbousa.
Singing with semolina
Ma'amoul (Syrian semolina biscuit)
