This basbousa is made with semolina flour, almonds, coconut and a delicious rose water scented sugar syrup. It’s so delicious and so easy to make!
Welcome to the second post of The Secret Recipe Club. This month I was lucky to receive the blogger Avanika of the delicious site Yumsilicious Bakes. As I searched through her recipes I found several I wanted to make. It’s always so hard to make a decision….ahhh!
I finally settled on a recipe called basbousa. I had never heard of this particular dessert so it immediately peaked my interest. In her post Avanika said it’s a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that is similar to the Indian dessert Coconut Halva.
The coconut flavor is mild but definitely present. It’s has a dense bar cookie texture and the syrup gives it just the right amount of sweetness. This was also my first time using rose water. I was worried it would add too much of a floral taste but happily it worked perfectly with all the other flavors. I made no changes to the recipe except for the fact that I didn’t blanch my almonds. The best part about this recipe is that it’s a breeze to make. Everything gets mixed together and into the pan it goes. What can be simpler than that?
Basbousa
This basbousa is made with semolina flour, almonds, coconut and a delicious rose water scented sugar syrup. It's so delicious and so easy to make!
Ingredients:
For Cake:
- 1 stick [1/2 cup, 113 g] butter - melted
- 3/4 cup [210 g] granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup [75 g] flour
- 1 1/4 cup [275 g] semolina flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 1 1/2 cup [150 g] unsweetened desiccated coconut - make sure you use desiccated, shredded tends to absorb moisture, and make it pudding-y!
- 3/4 cup [220 g] milk
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- blanched whole almonds, for decoration
For Syrup:
- 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoon[110 g] granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup [125 g] water
- 1/2 tablespoon rose water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Source: Yumsilicious Bakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F [180 C], grease a 9x11 pan or use a 9 inch tart pan.
Mix together all the ingredients for the cake, except the blanched almonds.
Pour it into the pan, score into diamond shapes, and add almonds to each piece[This is the traditional way to do it, and the almonds look really good when baked]
Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top browns.
While the cake is baking, prepare the syrup. Boil together the sugar, water and rose water, if using, until no sugar granules remain. Take off the heat, and add the lemon juice.
Pour onto a slightly cooled cake. The syrup will pool on top, don't worry. It will all get absorbed, and give the most amazing texture. Give the 'cake' a few hours to soak up all the syrup, and then cut along the scored lines.
Beverly
Monday 20th of June 2011
I am looking to make basbousa for my daughter's Ancient Egyptian birthday party. I want to check on a detail here: is the dessicated coconut supposed to be sweetened or unsweetened? Apparently it's available both ways, and it might make a big difference. Thanks!
admin
Monday 20th of June 2011
Hi Beverly,
I used unsweetened dessicated coconut. I was not aware that you kind find it sweetened. I made a change in the recipe just in case anyone else had the same question. I hope your daughter likes the Basbousa and the party sounds like a blast!
sarah, simply cooked
Sunday 22nd of May 2011
Ah, I have tried this before when my Egyptian friend brought some back from a trip to Egypt. It is sweet, dense, and delicious. I am happy to see that it's easy to make, too! Beautiful pictures.
grace
Friday 20th of May 2011
i love the subtle bit of coconut here, and the syrup sounds heavenly! on top of all that, the appearance is enchanting. :)
Biren @ Roti n Rice
Thursday 19th of May 2011
This sounds and looks really good. I have been looking for a recipe using semolina. I might just give this a try.
judee@glutenfreeA-Z Blog
Thursday 19th of May 2011
My mother in law makes Basbousa and it is delicious. Yours looks great!