EASY BASBOUSA RECIPE

 

 

 

One of my favorite comforting desserts is called Basbousa.

 

Basbousa is dessert made from coarse sweet semolina, and means small kiss in Arabic.

Also known as Hareeseh, as well as Nammoura, it is a very easy dish to make.

It combines semolina, coconut, yogurt, sugar and simple syrup to create a truly delightful sweet.

 

Read More : البسبوسة

 

What is Basbousa Cake?

Basbousa cake is a dessert from the Middle East that is made primarily from a semolina mixture.

It is popular throughout Middle Eastern countries as well as North Africa, Iran, Greece and Turkey.

In Egypt this is the main dessert served during the feasts and holidays for both Christians and Muslims.

This is a very simple dish and a great recipe to make.

It combines some healthy ingredients that have come to be a very familiar flavor in the desserts of the Middle East.

Combining semolina flour, coconut flakes, yogurt.

Then it is sweetened with simple syrup and flavored with rose water.

This unique dish is a great one to share with your friends and family.

 

Basbousa Ingredients

 

 

As with most dessert recipes, the quality of the ingredients and how you use them makes all the difference.

 

Semolina

Semolina is the bulk of this recipe (it is a semolina cake after all!).

 

I’ve tried using different kinds of semolina but undoubtedly the best to use is coarse semolina.

 

I have re-tried this recipe in so many ways to get the right balance of ingredients.

 

And to try and make it taste just as good as you can get from the bakeries here in Amman.

 

I used fine semolina (just the once).

 

It was a miserable defeat!

 

The whole cake just fell apart in seconds.

 

So make sure to use coarse semolina for a sturdy cake.

Read More: طريقة عمل الكبسة

Coconut

You’ll want to use desiccated coconut for this recipe.

It adds to the texture more so than coconut flour would.

I think it also adds an intensity to the flavor.

The coconut really shines through.

It also helps bind the cake together really well, giving you a lovely sponge.

Plain Yogurt

I always have a preference to use sheep yogurt, as this is popular in the Middle East.

I find that it has a more complex, mellow flavor to it.

The richness you find in sheep yogurt also adds less tartness to recipes.

More frequently you can find this type of yogurt in most major supermarkets.

However, if you can’t find it or don’t want to use it, you can always use cow’s yogurt instead.

Just make sure it is a plain or non-flavored variety.

Orange Blossom Water

I prefer to use orange blossom water instead of rose water in this recipe, but you can use either.

The flavor you find with the orange blossom water is more delicate and a sweeter fragrance.

Whenever I smell it, it always transports me back to being a kid in Jericho, Palestine.

When we used to visit Jerusalem, we would have to drive through Jericho.

When the orange trees were in bloom, the air would fill with this sweet scent.

Interestingly, it goes wonderful in a hot steaming bath!

 

How to Make Basbousa

 

The main thing you need to get right for this recipe is the semolina.

You will need coarse ground semolina for this recipe in order to get the right texture and consistency for the cake.

Fine semolina will have a tendency to crumble very easily.

So the fine variety is not ideal.

Firstly, preheat the oven to 350°F/400°F.

In a large bowl, combine the: semolina, baking soda, coconut, sugar and melted butter.

Make sure that all the ingredients are well mixed.

I suggest putting on a latex glove and really getting stuck in there to combine the ingredients.

There’s nothing quite like cooking with your hands!

Next, add yogurt and mix in well.

Take a 8×8 baking dish and pour the batter in.

Make sure to press the cake batter down to smooth flat.

Using a knife, score the top of the cake to create diamond shapes.

To finish it off, place an individual slivered almond on each ‘diamond’ shape that you create.

You can now place this in the oven to bake.

Once you’ve assembled your cake, place it in the middle shelf of your oven.

Cook in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

If you don’t cook it enough, the cake will just fall apart.

If you overcook it, it will become hard and crumble as well.

Making the Sugar Syrup

 

To make the sugar syrup, dissolve the sugar in the water in a small saucepan.

Cook this over a high heat.

Once the sugar has completely dissolved into the water, add the lemon juice and orange blossom water.

Bring to a boil and then allow to cool completely to room temperature.

The syrup should resemble the consistency of maple syrup and should smell aromatic.

To finish the dessert, you need to pour the syrup over the cake so it absorbs the sweet goodness.

My tip here is to pour the sugar syrup over the Basbousa just as it comes out of the oven.

If you pour the syrup when the cake is hot makes sure it can absorb as much syrup as possible.