Easy Basbousa Recipe (Semolina Cake)

The Covid situation and the choas around left me so uninspired lately... Trying to be sane and making sure that we all stay afloat , not getting sucked into it is not easy... I hope everyone reading this is safe and taking good care and precautions. Let's all continue to move forward in hope that there will be better days ahead, so please find strength in the wait...

In the midst of this chaos allow me to distract you with a simple recipe for today.

Basbousa Cake is a well known middle eastern dessert made with semolina, flour, coconut, yogurt and nuts, soaked in a flavorful simple syrup. The coarse semolina flour gives the cake its signature sandy texture, it is super moist and has a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s a one bowl recipe and a great one to bake with your kids or family. I love recipes with coconut flavor and texture and this is one of my current favorite and I hope you get to try it out.

Ingredients

Semolina Cake

·      2 cups semolina

·      1 cup plain yogurt

·      1 cup granulated sugar

·      1/2 cup ghee, melted

·      1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

·      2 teaspoons baking powder

·      2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·      1 teaspoon salt

·      3 tblsp flour

·      3 eggs

 

Simple Syrup:

·         1 1/4 cup sugar

·         1 1/4 cup water

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Toppings:

·         1/3 cup chopped nuts (sliced almonds or chopped pistachios or hazelnuts) I used Pistachios

 

Instructions

1.      Preheat the oven to 200C.

2.      Line a 10" cake plate with a baking paper circle cut to size and brush all the edges with a little melted ghee. You can even bake this in a brownie tin or rectangular baking tin.

3.      In a large bowl, whisk egg and sugar till combined. Then add yogurt and whisk a bit. Then add to it ghee and continue to whisk and then add semolina, coconut and flour, salt and baking powder to the batter and fold it well with a spatula

4.      Mix until just combined. Do not over mix or your cake will be tough.

5.      Tap the cake pan gently on the table to ensure there are no cake bubbles present and everything is even.

6.      Bake on the centre rack of the oven for 15 minutes.

7.      Move the pan to the top rack and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the centre of the cake is set and it is starting to turn golden brown.

8.      During the last 10-15 minutes, prepare the simple syrup. Combine the sugar and water and in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes.

9.      When the cake is done, remove from oven and Pour the hot syrup over the hot cake.

10.  Cover the pan with foil and allow it to sit for at least half hour to soak in the syrup. Once it’s soaked sprinkle with chopped nuts and serve.

Tip: You can flavor the simple syrup using either 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons orange blossom water or 2 teaspoons rose water, or 1/2 of a cinnamon stick or crushed cardamom.

Above pictures are copyrighted Tickled by Inspirations