Basbousa Semolina Cake

5 from 4 votes

Basbousa Semolina Cake

This basbousa recipe is our favorite Arabic semolina cake recipe made from coarse semolina, ghee, sugar, honey, yogurt, and orange blossom simple syrup.

Servings:

Ingredients

Semolina Cake

2 cups coarse semolina
½ cup yogurt
½ cup ghee
⅓ cup sugar
2 tablespoon honey
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon tahini to grease the pan
Pistachios almonds, or pine nuts to decorate

Simple Syrup

⅔ cup sugar
⅔ cup water
1 tablespoon orange blossom water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the dough. Mix the semolina, sugar, and baking powder. In another bowl, melt the ghee in the microwave and mix in the honey until fully incorporated. Pour the ghee into the bowl with the semolina mixture and mix until all the semolina is incorporated. Add in the yogurt and mix until you have a squishy dough. Grease a 12-inch round baking pan (or a similar size rectangular pan) with tahini and lightly press the dough into it until smooth and even. Let rest uncovered for at least an hour.
Make the simple syrup. While the dough rests, start on your simple syrup by dissolving the sugar and water in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil and add the lemon juice, stirring until it thickens. Add in the orange blossom water, then set aside for when the basbousa is ready.
Bake basbousa. Preheat the oven to 350 ℉ (180 ℃). Cut diagonal lines into the basbousa so you have diamond shapes, and garnish with nuts of choice. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the top is golden.
Drizzle simple syrup. Pour sugar syrup on top as soon as it's out of the oven, and wait for all the syrup to be absorbed before serving.

Notes

Pour the syrup onto the basbousa immediately after it's out of the oven.
Storage: Store this basbousa semolina cake recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Ingredient Notes:
- Coarse Semolina: You'll need coarse semolina for this recipe. This Arabic cake should be crumbly and grainy in a way, and fine semolina won't give it the right texture.
- Yogurt: You can use any type of yogurt. I've made it with full fat and low-fat yogurt, and Greek yogurt was the only one that didn't work. So, only avoid Greek yogurt.
- Tahini: You can use olive oil, ghee, or vegetable oil too. You only need a little bit to grease your baking pan.
- Raw Nuts: I like garnishing my basbousa semolina cake with pistachios. You can use almonds, pine nuts, or cashews, or just leave it plain.
- Orange Blossom Water: I always make my simple syrup with orange blossom water. It just adds that special touch.
- Lemon Juice: My aunt taught me to add a tiny bit of lemon juice to my simple syrup to intensify its flavors and thicken it up faster.
- Ghee: I've tried to make basbousa with regular butter, but ghee or clarified butter really is the key to getting the perfect flavor.

Nutrition