This delicious Egyptian semolina yogurt cake is a perfect snacking cake. The sugary syrup is flavored with floral rose water, while coarse semolina flour gives the cake a soft, chewy texture. Traditionally known as Basbousa or Namoura in the Middle East, this is an easy cake to make for a not-overly-sweet dessert.
The Creamiest Cake with Semolina Flour and Greek Yogurt
If you've never baked with coarse semolina flour, this is your sign to try it! Semolina is made from durum wheat, and it replaces the all purpose flour you'd normally find in a fluffy cake. I loving using it because it creates a beautiful golden color, and adds an earthy, sweet aroma. Plus semolina is high in gluten and protein, which helps baked goods retain moisture and hold their shape better when sliced.
The real secret to keeping this cake moist though is adding Greek yogurt to the cake batter, then drenching it all in a rose water syrup right after it comes out of the oven. The batter is so thick that slices are made before it's baked, which creates little crevices for that sweet and floral syrup to soak into as it cools.
For another Middle Eastern-inspired cake, I recommend my light and sweet date cake next. And if you're looking for a more impressive dessert for a crowd, my baklava cheesecake is a show-stopper! I have my Iraqi in-laws test-taste all my Arabic sweets to ensure they're good enough to share with you!
Ingredients
- Granulated sugar
- Semolina flour
- Unsalted butter - Two sticks of melted butter create a super dense and buttery cake
- Milk
- Greek yogurt - Adds a tangy flavor to balance the sweetness and adds more moisture to the batter
- Baking soda and baking powder - Leavens the cake batter to help it rise in the oven
- Almonds - Whole almonds are the traditional decoration on each slice of cake
- Rose water - Adds a floral flavor; I usually find rose water in my local Middle Eastern store
How to Make this Semolina Cake!
Baking Tips from My Kitchen
- A lot of recipes sprinkle finely shredded coconut on top of the cake batter before it's baked, which is nice because they get toasty and crunchy in the oven. But in recipe testing, I prefer just simple nutty flavor of just the almonds on top.
- I've also served Basbousa with pistachios on top (a must-try) and fresh fruit for my nut-adverse friends. Both were a hit!
- I love the light flavor of rose water in the syrup, but you can swap in orange blossom water too for a more pronounced fruity flavor.
Basbousa - Eggless Egyptian Semolina Yogurt Cake
developed & tested by:
Ingredients
Semolina Cake
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 cups coarse semolina flour
- 1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, melted (plus more for greasing the baking dish)
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup whole almonds
Simple Syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon rose water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the 1 cup granulated sugar, semolina flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
- To the dry ingredients, add the melted butter, milk and yogurt. Mix well with a spoon or spatula. The cake batter will be pretty runny at this stage.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour so the semolina flour can absorb the moisture in the batter and thicken. The batter will be thick and less runny after resting.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x9 inch or 8x8 inch baking dish with butter.
- Spread the cake batter into the greased baking dish and smooth it out with the back of a spoon.
- Use a kitchen knife to cut 1-inch squares into the cake batter. The batter will be thick enough that the cuts will remain after baking. Place one almond in the center of each square.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden.
- While the cake bakes in the oven, prepare the simple syrup. In a medium saucepan, add the water and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Heat on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved, after about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the rose water. Set aside to cool.
- Immediately pour the simple syrup over the cake. You may need to pour half of the syrup, let it soak in for a couple minutes, then pour more syrup on the cake.
- Let the cake cool and continue soaking in the syrup for at least 30 minutes before serving. Re-cut along the lines and enjoy!!
Notes
- Don't skip allowing your cake batter to rest. This gives the semolina flour time to absorb moisture and form its signature texture.
- Cutting the batter into pieces before baking makes it easier to place a single almond on each slice, and it makes it easier to re-slice after baking.
- Store leftover slices in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- Use coarse semolina flour, not fine semolina flour or farina.
Yum-number1 says
Soooo delicious!!!
Humbly Homemade says
Yay! Thank you!!