Algerian Basboussa - Semolina Cake With Syrup
8
People talking
There are many, many versions of Basboussa ( and many spelling variations!) throughout the Arab world. Some of these are a spongy cake-like texture & some are more of a grainy texture. This Algerian version is more of a cake-like texture - which happens to be my favourite. I absolutely love the addition of coconut in the recipe, it really adds something to the Basboussa. This recipe is extremely simple to make & is delicious served with coffee or tea. It is definitely a Ramadan staple in our home!
- Ready In:
- 50mins
- Yields:
- Units:
8
People talking
ingredients
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For the Basboussa
- 1 1⁄2 cups of coarse semolina
- 1 cup plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3⁄4 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
- 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup sunflower oil
- 1 lemon, zest of (finely grated)
- 1 cup yogurt
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
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For the Syrup
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange flower water (add a little more if you like it very fragrant)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
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To Decorate
- blanched whole almond
directions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C Grease a large baking dish (approx. 11" x7").
- In a pan, place the sugar & water from the 'Syrup Ingredients', bring to the boil then simmer until you have a pale golden colour. Remove from the heat & stir in the lemon juice & the orange flower water. Set aside to cool, you can also store this syrup in the fridge until you need to use it.
- Place all the wet ingredients in a large bowl & using a hand mixer, mix until creamy. Add the dry ingredients a little at a time & mix well.
- Pour into your baking dish & level off the surface with the back of a dessert spoon or palett knife. With a small knife, score the surface into equal squares or diamonds & place a blanced almond in the centre of each square / diamond.
- Bake in the oven until golden - this will take approximately 30-40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven & cut through the scored squares / diamonds. Pour the syrup over the top & allow the Basboussa to soak up the syrup before serving. It is best to leave it for at least 2 hours for best results.
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RECIPE MADE WITH LOVE BY
@Um Safia
Contributor
@Um Safia
Contributor
"There are many, many versions of Basboussa ( and many spelling variations!) throughout the Arab world. Some of these are a spongy cake-like texture & some are more of a grainy texture. This Algerian version is more of a cake-like texture - which happens to be my favourite. I absolutely love the addition of coconut in the recipe, it really adds something to the Basboussa. This recipe is extremely simple to make & is delicious served with coffee or tea. It is definitely a Ramadan staple in our home!"
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This recipe is absolutely AWESOME!!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing!Reply
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Yet another wonderful recipe from Um Safia! Delicious, moist, not overly sweet - and very delicate. Yum!Reply
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This is delicious! I made a couple small changes - didn't have sunflower oil so I used canola. For the syrup, I used 2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup honey (because the ones I had always had that honey taste), with 2 tsp orange flower water and the lemon juice. I made for a party but I want to keep it for myself :)Reply
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DH and DD1 both say this is good and I made it for my FIL`s dewaniya (male gathering) and I'm sure it will get eaten up. It is a nice change from their regular favourite, recipe#213305 as this one has a cakier texture and the lemon zest. I did not use all the 'asl' syrup as the men don't like too much sweetness. In fact I made a batch of recipe#451788 with the leftover syrup. I use Cedar brand semolina (light coloured, not durum semolina used for making pasta), the shredded coconut I had was sweetened so I left out most of the sugar, I used mainly canola oil and the rest unrefined sunflower oil as I was afraid it would have too much of a sunflower taste, alcohol free vanilla from the health food shop, just 1 tbs orange blossom water, plus the rest of the ingredients. I cut them into diamond shapes to look very nice masha Allah. I may make this again as a change from the usual. Made for Welcome to Algeria!Reply -
Fantastic! Something special to enjoy with good coffee or tea and friends !! thanks for sharing!1Reply
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