Description
A delicious Middle Eastern semolina cake soaked in cinnamon simple syrup.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (214g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (150g) fine semolina
- 1 cup (150g) coarse semolina
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut or coconut chips
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to combine the sugar and yogurt. Add the semolina flours, baking powder, and milk. Stir to combine. Finally, stir in the melted butter.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan. Use a spatula to smooth the batter and transfer the cake pan to the heated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. If you need to you can put it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. You want it to have a little color, but keep an eye on it so the cake doesn’t burn.
- While the cake bakes, make the cinnamon simple syrup. Set a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, water, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool completely, then remove the cinnamon stick.
- As soon as the basbousa is removed from the oven, pour the cool syrup on the hot basbousa. The pan may fill up with the liquid and the cake may even float for a second, but it’s OK. Just let it absorb into the cake. Let the cake cool completely, as the syrup must be fully absorbed into the cake. For best results, let it sit for 1 hour before serving.
- To serve, you can either serve it from the baking pan or run a knife around the edges and invert the cake onto a plate. Top the cake with the flaked coconut and sliced almonds. Cut into 8 slices and enjoy!
Notes
- For a richer flavor, use ghee instead of butter.
- You can serve this cake with a dollop of yogurt or ice cream.
- Letting the cake sit after adding the syrup intensifies the flavor.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 25g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 30mg