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Basbousa

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Makes 1 (9-inch) cake
Recipe by Amira Ibrahim
Basbousa, an Egyptian semolina cake with yogurt, is one of the best Egyptian desserts that comes out fairly quickly. It’s a one-bowl, mix-and-dump kind of recipe, yet it’s hard to perfect. An authentic Egyptian basbousa recipe should be soft and stay soft. A delicious coconut, yogurt, and semolina/farina cake gets sprinkled with nuts and drizzled with syrup to add the final seal of perfection. “Basbousa”/“basboosa” is also a term in the Middle East that refers to a very sweet semolina cake. In Arabic, we can call our loved ones “basbousa”; I sometimes call my little kid “basbousty,” which means “my basbousa,” or “my sweet.”

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup (113 grams) plus 1 tablespoon (14 grams) ghee, divided
  • ½ tablespoon (10 grams) tahini
  • 1⅔ cups (306 gram) farina*
  • ½ cup (116 grams) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (42 grams) unsweetened flaked coconut (optional; see Note)
  • ½ tablespoon (6 grams) baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon (21 grams) honey
  • ½ cup (97 grams) plain yogurt
  • ½ cup (71 grams) whole raw almonds (optional)
  • Syrup (recipe follows)

Instructions

  • Position oven racks in center and top third of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Brush a 9-inch round cake pan with 1 tablespoon (14 grams) ghee and tahini.
  • In a deep large bowl, stir together farina, sugar, coconut (if using), and baking powder until well combined.
  • In a small saucepan, melt remaining ½ cup (113 grams) ghee over medium heat. Stir in honey until combined. Pour ghee mixture into farina mixture, and stir together until well combined. Stir in yogurt until well combined. Spread batter into prepared pan. Arrange almonds (if using) on top as desired.
  • Bake on center oven rack until edges start to brown, about 10 minutes. Move to upper oven rack, and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Turn oven off.
  • Immediately pour Syrup over cake, and cover with foil. Place in oven for5 to 10 minutes. Remove from pan, and serve warm.

Notes

*We used Cream of Wheat.
Notes: Using flaked coconut is optional. If you do not like it, omit it and proceed with the recipe as directed. However, we highly recommend adding 3 to 4 tablespoons (15 to 20 grams) flaked coconut, as coconut helps with the texture and you will not taste such a small amount.
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