Basbousa is a well-known Arabic sweet — a wonderfully tender, crumbly cake soaked in syrup. In some ways, basbousa is similar to a traditional semolina cake, but it's sweeter, more crumbly, and moister in texture. Arabic sweets are generally very sweet, so a full cup of sugar in the syrup would be perfectly authentic for this cake. That said, I prefer things less cloyingly sweet, so I used only half a cup of sugar in the syrup — and to me it turned out just right.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup semolina
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup kefir (or plain yogurt)
- 1 cup neutral vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 20 whole almonds for decoration (optional)
- Syrup:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
How to cook basbousa
In a large bowl, combine the flour, semolina, sugar, and shredded coconut. Add the vanilla sugar and baking powder, and mix everything together well.
Pour in the kefir (or yogurt) and vegetable oil. Lightly beat the egg with a fork (right in the same cup you used for measuring), then add it to the bowl.
Grease a baking pan with oil (I used a 25×25 cm pan; it's best not to go smaller, or the basbousa will come out too thick). Pour in the batter and shake the pan gently to spread it out evenly.
Evenly arrange the almonds on top (no need to press them in). Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for about 40 minutes.
Start making the syrup right away so it has time to cool. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice (for 2 tbsp of juice I used about 1/3 of a lemon).
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and let it boil for 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and let the syrup cool.
Using a sharp knife, cut the cake into rectangles right in the pan, so that each piece has an almond in the center. Spoon the cooled syrup over the warm cake, making sure to thoroughly moisten the entire surface — including the almonds — and pour a little syrup into the cuts as well. Let the cake cool completely.
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