Basbousa ( Semolina Cake )

Basbousa is a delicious and easy-to-make Middle Eastern dessert. It's made with semolina flour, ghee and shredded coconut, topped with hazelnuts and soaked in sugar syrup. Basbousa is moist, soft, and very tasty. It is a delightful dessert that everyone will want to have a taste of.

What is Basbousa?

Basbousa means "just one kiss" in Arabic. Its texture is cake-like, but it's richer and denser, and It has a sweet and nutty flavour.
Basbousa is a simple dessert for those who want a quick dessert. It's very easy to make, and all you need to do is mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, pour in a baking pan then bake it.

What is the origin of Basbousa?

According to history, Basbousa is said to originate from Turkey, at the time of the Ottoman Empire, where it is also known as Revani cake.

It is usually made in a diamond shape. Many countries adopted Basbousa, but they call it different names. So, it comes in different variations. Also, some include or remove some of the ingredients. The dessert goes with virtually any meal of your choice.

What is in Basbousa?

• Butter or Ghee: You can use melted ghee or butter, and you can't replace them with oil.
• Coconut: You can use unsweetened or sweetened shredded coconut. If you're using unsweetened coconut, you may need to add one or two tablespoons of sugar to the recipe.
• Semolina: You can also decide to use fine or coarse semolina.
  Coarse semolina is often used in most Egyptian Basbousa recipes.
• Sugar: You can use raw sugar or white sugar. Brown sugar isn't advisable because it might change the Basbousa's texture, making it chewy and sticky.
• Milk: It makes the Basbousa moist and lighter. However, you can use whole milk, coconut milk or almond milk.
• Heavy Syrup: It makes your Basbousa very moist, tastes good and melts in your mouth as you eat it.
• Topping: hazelnut (optional): You can use hazelnut as a topping. Although, this is optional and not compulsory. So, it all depends on what you want. Asides from topping with hazelnuts, you can also use another type of nut.
• Sugar Syrup: You need to prepare the sugar syrup separately. Follow the instructions on how to prepare it to get the best result. Note that there are different ways of making sugar syrup.

How to make Basbousa?

Preparations: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F.
Grease a 30cm baking pan with butter.

Making the heavy syrup (which will be used in making the Basbousa base): In a small saucepan, add sugar and water, bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes more, turn off the heat.

Making the sugar syrup: In a saucepan, add sugar, water, and lemon juice over medium to high heat. Bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 6-7minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool down.

Making the Basbousa: Melt the butter in the microwave or on the stove.
In a mixing bowl, combine the semolina and melted butter, then add the coconut and mix until well combined.
Add to the previous mixture milk, sugar, and the heavy syrup mix until combined, then transfer the mixture into the baking pan. Cut the Basbousa using a knife (optional) and top it with some hazelnuts.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Let it cool down, then serve.

Top Tips

• Brush the baking pan generously with ghee, butter or even baking spry.
• You can use any nuts you fancy as topping, such as pine nuts, almond or pistachios, if you do not have hazelnuts.
• Pour the syrup over the Basbous while it is still hot. With this, it will quickly absorb the syrup and becomes very moist.
• Cut the Basbousa before baking. This makes it much easier for you to make beautiful cuts when fully baked.
• Keep an eye on the batter when baking, as the cooking time may be different depending on how fast your oven is.
• If you do not have whole milk, you can use almond milk or coconut milk (not coconut water) instead.
• If your oven temperature rises while baking, you will have Basbousa with dark brown bottom and sides and dry. To prevent this, reduce your oven's heat.
• Use a 12-inch baking pan if you want a thin Basbousa. With this, you can have a shorter baking time.
• You can freeze it for 1-2 monthes without being worried about losing its taste.

Recipe Variations

• Namoura from Lebanon: It originated from Lebanon, and it contains the same Basbousa base and shredded coconut.
• Pastūsha or pastūçha: A variation of Basbousa that started from Kuwait in 2010. It is produced the same way as Basbousa, but there is an addition of orange flower water and ground pistachios.
• Basbousa bil ashta: A variation of basbousa from Levantine. The middle is usually filled with Ashta cream.

Servings suggestions

Basbousa can be served with a chilled glass of milk, black coffee or alongside other desserts. Basbousa usually serves in festivals, special occasions and in Ramadan by Arabians.

Recipe FAQs

How do you serve Basbousa?

You can serve it at room temperature or when chilled. It all depends on what you want.

How do you store Basbousa?

You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature. It can last for 7-10 days when stored well.

What is Semolina?

Semolina is a purified and coarse wheat middlings made from durum wheat. Semolina is mainly used for making pasta, couscous and sweet puddings.

Is Semolina Gluten-Free?

No. Semolina is not gluten-free.

Is Basbousa also known as Namoura?

Yes. Namoura is the term used for Basbousa in Lebanon. Both desserts are the same because they're made from the same base. The major difference between both is that Basbousa contains shredded coconut while namoura does not.

Can I use regular flour instead of Semolina?

No, you can not use regular flour for making Basbousa. Semolina flour is responsible for the mild nutty flavour and texture of Basbousa.

What is Ghee?

Ghee, also known as clarified butter, is obtained from simmering and straining butter to remove all the liquid. It has a lovely nutty flavour.

What is the difference between coarse and fine semolina?

Both fine and coarse semolina can be used to make Basbousa, but the difference is that the texture and baking time aren't the same.

Coarse semolina takes more time to cook due to the addition of moisture to the batter. Coarse semolina also makes the texture to be wet, with a sand-like texture and grainy too. Some people prefer using coarse semolina due to the texture.

More Middle Eastern Desserts

• Greek Custard Pie With Syrup (Galaktoboureko)
• Sweet Kunafa Recipe
• Bougatsa - Greek Filo custard pie
• Om Ali – Egyptian Bread Pudding Recipe

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