Description
Sweetened Semolina Cake is also known as Basbousa or Hareeseh, or Nammoura, and is a traditional Middle Eastern sweet cake. It is made from a sweetened semolina batter and typically flavored with orange flower water or rose water simple syrup. The semolina cake is featured in Arab, Turkish, Greek, Armenian and Israeli cuisine as well as many others. It is called basbousa in Arabic and shamali in Armenian and the Persian name for the cake is revani. We just call is delicious!
Ingredients:
2 eggs separated
¼ cup + 2 tablespoon Butter Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Blood Orange Extra Virgin Olive Oil
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup semolina
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sweetened flake coconut
2 teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup + 2 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp Kosher Flake Sea Salt
For the syrup:
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
For topping:
¼ cup sweetened flake coconut
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 8 x 8 inch pan and line with parchment paper.
In a bowl add semolina, all-purpose flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup shredded coconut and salt and mix well and set aside.
In another bowl add orange juice, two egg yolks and olive oil and mix well. Add wet ingredients to semolina mixture, mix well and set aside.
In a kitchen aid bowl add two egg whites and gradually add sugar while beating. Once it reaches soft stiff peak fold in with semolina mixture.
Then transfer to prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes.
While cake is baking make the sugar syrup, heat water in a small saucepan and add sugar and heat until sugar has melted and mix just starts to simmer, remove from heat and add lemon juice.
While cake is warm poke the cake with fork and add the syrup and garnish with shredded coconut.
