Basbousa/Hareeseh - Middle Eastern Semolina Yogurt Cake
A sweet, buttery and tangy semolina cake draped with a simple syrup perfect for gatherings with coffee or tea.
Ingredients
For the simple syrup (attar):
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
For the basbousa:
- 3 ½ cups coarse semolina
- ½ cup clarified butter samneh/ghee at room temp or melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ cup plain yogurt NOT Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Clarified butter or tahini for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Before you start on the basbousa batter, prepare the simple syrup so that it has enough time to cool. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan. Mix them together to combine before bringing to a boil over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves completely (3-5 minutes), then let it simmer over high heat for another 3 minutes before adding in the lemon juice. The syrup should be a bit thinner than maple syrup while it’s hot (not "pancake syrup" which is thicker, but actual maple syrup). Set aside to cool while you make the cake.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the coarse semolina (smeed) and ghee with your hands until it resembles wet sand. Then, add in the sugar and mix well. I like to mix this part with my hands so I can feel if there's any dry semolina in the bottom of the bowl. Let this mixture sit for at least an hour to allow the semolina to absorb the ghee. This gives you a softer crumb in the end.
- After an hour passes, place the yogurt in a separate bowl with the salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix really well and let this sit for about 10 minutes or until the yogurt fizzles and puffs a bit from the baking soda/powder. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and combine well. The batter should be thick, but not kneadable like bread. I like using my hands for this part as well, but you can also use a spatula. Let this rest while the oven preheats.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease an 11 inch round pan. If you don't have one, just use a 9x13, although the cake may be a bit thicker. Once preheated, grease the pan with more clarified butter or tahini paste for a nutty flavor. Pour the semolina batter into the prepared pan and use your hands or the back of a spoon to spread it out into a smooth, even layer. Very important, so the cake cooks and browns evenly.
- Sprinkle on some melted butter or clarified butter on the top. Then, using a sharp knife, score the batter into diamond shapes or square shapes following the diagram above. Place a blanched whole almonds or slivered almond in the center of each piece.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, then broil for 3-4 minutes - turning the pan as necessary, until the top is evenly golden brown.
- Once your basbousa cake comes out of the oven, immediately pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot basbousa. Don't leave any part untouched with the syrup! The basbousa will absorb all that delicious sweetness! Now for the hardest part!! The only thing left for you to do is wait. Let it sit for at least an hour before serving so the flavors can meld together perfectly. This is so imporant, I feel you don't get the true feel for basbousa until it sits for multiple hours, to be honest, but I always end up having a piece about an hour after baking so I can taste it warm, even though this sweet cake tastes even better the next day.
- Enjoy by itself or with a hot cup of coffee or tea. Sahtein!