Basbousa (Semolina Cake with Syrup & Coconut)
بسبوسہ (شیرے اور ناریل والا سوجی کا کیک)
Basbousa is one of the most popular sweets in the Arab world, sold in trays at every sweet shop from Cairo to Dubai. It's a dense, moist cake of semolina, yogurt and coconut, baked until golden, then soaked with cool syrup scented with lemon or rose water, and cut into diamonds, each topped with an almond. It's a cousin of Turkish revani and very easy: one bowl, no mixer, and it keeps for days.
- ⏱ Total: 50 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 35 min
- Easy
- Serves 16
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Make the syrup: boil the sugar and water for 8 minutes, add the lemon juice and rose water and cool completely.
Heat the oven to 180°C and grease a 23 × 30 cm tray with tahini or butter. Mix the semolina, coconut, sugar and baking powder, then stir in the yogurt and melted butter to make a thick batter.
Spread evenly in the tray, smooth the top, and score into diamonds with a knife. Press an almond into the centre of each.
Bake for 30–35 minutes until deep golden. Immediately pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot cake and leave to soak for at least 1 hour before cutting along the lines.
Serve at room temperature.
Kitchen notes
Hot cake, cold syrup, as with all Arabic and Turkish syrup sweets.
Scoring before baking makes neat diamonds and lets the syrup soak in evenly.
Keeps 4–5 days covered at room temperature.
The sweet-shop classic
Basbousa (also called hareeseh in the Levant and namoura in Lebanon) is one of the most widely made sweets in the Arab world. It’s cheap to make, keeps well and is loved by everyone, which is why it’s sold by the tray in sweet shops and made at home for Eid, Ramadan and guests.
Semolina, coconut and yogurt
The batter needs no eggs or mixer: semolina, coconut, sugar and baking powder mixed with yogurt and melted butter. The semolina gives a slightly grainy, satisfying texture, and the yogurt keeps it moist and tender.
Soaking
Like Turkish revani and şekerpare, basbousa is soaked straight from the oven with cool syrup. It drinks up the syrup and becomes moist right through while the top stays golden.
Serving
Serve at room temperature in diamonds with Arabic coffee or tea. South Asian readers who love suji halwa will find it a familiar flavour in cake form.
Questions people ask
How is basbousa different from revani?
They're close cousins. Basbousa is usually denser, with coconut and yogurt; Turkish revani is lighter, with eggs and flour.
Can I add cream filling?
Yes. Basbousa with a layer of thick cream (ashta) in the middle is a popular sweet-shop version.
Why grease with tahini?
It's an Egyptian tradition that gives the base a nutty flavour and helps it brown. Butter works too.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 250
- Protein
- 4 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
