Orange Blossom Semolina Cake (Basbousa)
Orange Blossom Semolina Cake (Basbousa) is a a delicious coarse-textured semolina cake soaked in a rose water and orange blossom water simple syrup!
Servings: 12 pieces
Calories: 365kcal
Ingredients
Orange Blossom Syrup:
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-2 cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoons rose water not rose extract
- 1 tablespoon orange blossom water not extract
Semolina Cake:
- 1 ⅔ cups semolina flour sometimes called coarse farina
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 3 tablespoons oil I use avocado
- ½ cup melted butter cooled to room temperature
- ¼ cup desiccated coconut very fine, not sweetened
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon tahini paste to grease baking dish, cooking spray works too
- 12-20 blanched almonds depending on how many pieces you're making
Instructions
- MIX: Add sugar, water, lemon juice, and smashed cardamom pods (or ground if using) to a medium or small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil.
- SIMMER: When boiling, lower the heat to medium-low so that it gently simmers and the sugar dissolves. Let simmer for 12 minutes. Remove from heat, and add orange blossom and rose water.
- COMBINE: In a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients: semolina flour, granulated sugar, yogurt, melted butter, oil, desiccated coconut, and baking powder. Add 3 tablespoons of prepared simple syrup.
- REST: Stir, then let sit for 30 minutes.
- PREP: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 10½ x 7½ (a 9-inch square pan works too or something similar) baking dish with the tahini paste using a pastry brush.
- DECORATE: spread the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread to make an even layer. Score the mixture using a sharp knife to make 18-20 equal pieces. Place a blanched almond in the center of each piece.
- BAKE: the semolina cake for 30-35 minutes (for larger pans, it will take less time, smaller pans take closer to 35 minutes, while large pans will take 28-30 minutes. Insert a toothpick to make sure the texture is crumbly and cooked. Then place the cake close to the top and broil for 1-2 minutes keeping a close eye on the cake so that it turns golden brown without burning. Remove the cake from oven.
- SWEETEN: Drizzle the prepared syrup over the cake while it’s still warm. Le the cake cool for a minimum of 1 hour, ideally 2 hours before attempting to remove it from the pan. Doing so prematurely will cause the cake pieces to crumble. It's best to let it soak up all that syrup before removing. Enjoy!
Notes
- To blanch the almonds: add raw almonds to a small bowl, pour over 1 cup of hot water (175-200ºF). Allow the almonds to come to a sit for 5-7 minutes. Then strain the almonds. When the skin is loose, gently rub and remove with your fingers. I soak the almonds, but don’t remove the skins because I like the color variation!
Nutrition
Calories: 365kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g
