This mediterranean dessert is very popular and easy to make. It has different names depending on the region. This is my first time baking this sweet. I decided to make it vegetarian, specially for this fasting period. It is very similar to a dessert called Nammoura, where we also use semolina and sugar syrup. The coconut gives the cake a distinctive flavor.
I liked my version of Basbousa and would definitely do it again with some changes, playing with a recipe is quite interesting.
Basbousa
– 2 cups semolina
– 1 cup shredded coconut
– 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
– 1/2 cup sugar
– 3/4 cup canola oil
– 1/2 cup warm water
For the sugar syrup
– 1 cup sugar
– 1 cup water
– squeeze of lemon
– 1 tsp orange blossom water
– 1 tsp rose water
Preheat oven to 190C. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the oil rubbing with your fingers till combined then slowly add the water mixing well the dough. Spread evenly the dough in an oiled round pan and bake for 30 minutes or until it is golden brown. Before the cake is fully baked, in 10 minutes, remove from oven and draw lozenges shapes with a knife and place slivered blanched almonds in the lozenges. Put back in oven for 10 more minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the sugar syrup, put the sugar and water in a saucepan, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture starts to boil and thicken. Remove from heat and add a squeeze of lemon, orange blossom water and rose water. Let cool.
Pour the sugar syrup over the cake and let it soak for few hours before serving.
Enjoy.
Fragole E Farfalle 
Ce dessert !!! Mmm… on n’en mangeait pas souvent, mais je me souviens que j’aimais ça !! J’ai cuisiné une soupe Lebanese-style aujourd’hui (avec des boulettes de boulghour et de semoule, je ne connais pas le nom en arabe), bref, j’ai pensé à toi ! 🙂
Oh, c’est gentil! oui c’est un bon dessert. Une soupe avec des boulettes de burghul, bon je ne la connais pas, par contre on fait un plat le jour du Vendredi Saint, des boulettes de burghul et farine avec des pois chiches.
Lovely clicks..looks so yummy!!
Thank you Dimah! 🙂
How interesting! This reminds me of Indian Semolina Halwa! What a lovely combination of flavors- coconut and orange blossom water!
Yes I found this combination perfect. I find most of the traditional cakes having similar flavors somehow! Would love to know more about the Indian sweets, well, I’m interested in every kind of sweet. Thank you for stopping by Kamran, and you have a very interesting way of telling a story, your posts are so nice! 🙂
This looks great. I love anything with coconut.
Yes it was delicious! 🙂