Sfouf (Turmeric Cake)

Sfouf is a super flavorful and incredibly fluffy Lebanese cake known for its vibrant yellow color and earthy flavor. My recipe is eggless, butterless and SO easy to make!

Sfouf Recipe

I love how this Lebanese cake is super simple and AMAZING; The turmeric fragrance fills the kitchen once the cake gets out of the oven. For me, this means it is time for tea and cake.

Sfouf cake is not overly sweet and it contains turmeric, which imparts a distinct and delicious flavor that elevates it above the ordinary cakes I usually bake at home.

This Lebanese yellow cake gets its lovely yellow color from turmeric, and it also has a crumbly but supple texture because of using semolina as a main ingredient.

I like to serve it with a hot cup of White Chocolate Latte or Oat Milk Hot Chocolate.

You'll Need

Let's talk about the ingredients you need to make Sfouf:

Semolina. Instead of using flour alone, this cake calls for fine semolina to a bit of crumbly texture.

All-purpose Flour. It is an excellent flour for baking; however, you may use cake flour instead, and it works well too.

White Sugar. 

Vegetable Oil. I love using oil over butter in making cake because It usually gives a softer and fluffier texture.

Turmeric. Turmeric is the reason for the beautiful golden color and sweet and unique flavor of this cake. I only use ½ tablespoon of turmeric combined with the rest of the ingredients, and it makes a significant difference.

Baking Powder. Baking powder is a simple way to make the cake rise.

Milk. I use whole milk.

Tip: This is an eggless and butterless recipe; hence it is an almost vegan dish if milk was not among the ingredients. However, you may change the milk into plant-based milk such as soy milk and almond milk. That way, the cake you will be making is totally vegan.

Tahini. Grease your pan with Tahini; this is the traditional Lebanese way of preparing for the turmeric cake. However, you may use butter instead.

Pine Nuts. To sprinkle on top of your cake, It imparts a delicate, nutty flavor to it.

“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”

How To Make Sfouf Recipe (Turmeric Cake)?

Before beginning, preheat the oven to 180C/375F and grease a 20 cm baking pan with tahini or butter.

One: In a mixing bowl, mix together milk, sugar and oil until the sugar dissolves completely.

Two: Stir in flour, semolina, baking powder and turmeric until the batter is smooth.

Three: Pour the batter into the baking pan, and sprinkle the pine nuts on the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Four: Let the cake cool down on a wire rack and cut the turmeric cake, and serve.

Top Tips!

• Measure your ingredients and strictly follow these measures. This is an easy recipe to make, but one simple mistake in the measurements of the ingredients and the outcome would definitely not be as good as what you may expect.
• Always make sure that you are only mixing the cake batter until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Overmixing the batter results in a cake with a hard texture.
• I like the ratio of semolina to flour to be 3:1 because I like it on the crumbly side; however, you may make the ratio 1:1 if you like it a bit spongey.
• I store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last around 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

More Cake Recipes

• 3-Ingredient Chocolate Cake
• Lazy Cake - No-Bake Chocolate Biscuit Cake
• Coffee Cake With Coffee Cream Frosting
• Peach Mango Pie

Easy Middle Eastern Desserts

Thank you for checking out my recipe; follow Healthy Life Trainer on Pinterest to keep up-to-date with all new recipes. Also, you can subscribe to my Newsletter to recipe all the latest recipes once published.

Recipe Card