Basbousa
Basbousa is a tender Egyptian semolina cake soaked in fragrant sugar syrup and topped with almonds, producing a sweet, moist, and slightly grainy dessert that is irresistible. It is one of the most beloved sweets across Egypt and the wider Middle East and requires only simple pantry ingredients.
Sweet moist Egyptian semolina cake soaked in rose water sugar syrup and topped with almonds.
Nutrition per serving
Ingredients
cake
syrup
Instructions
Mix the Batter
Combine semolina, sugar, yogurt, and melted butter in a bowl and stir until a thick, uniform batter forms. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes so the semolina begins to absorb the moisture and the batter thickens.
Bake the Cake
Pour batter into a greased baking dish and smooth the top with a wet spatula. Score the surface into diamond shapes, press one whole almond onto each diamond, and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 25 to 30 minutes until deeply golden.
Make the Syrup
Combine 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil stirring until dissolved. Simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat and stir in rose water.
Soak and Cool
Immediately pour the hot syrup evenly over the hot basbousa as soon as it comes out of the oven. Allow to cool completely for at least 20 minutes so the cake fully absorbs the syrup before cutting along the scored lines.
Substitutions
Common mistakes
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