Namoura — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A golden semolina cake soaked in fragrant orange blossom syrup, dense yet tender, topped with blanched almonds. This beloved Lebanese sweet is a fixture at celebrations and a cherished afternoon treat with coffee.

Ingredients

2 cups fine semolina
1 cup sugar
1 cup yogurt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp tahini for greasing
Blanched almonds for topping
For syrup: 2 cups sugar
1.5 cups water
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp orange blossom water

Instructions

1 Mix semolina, sugar, yogurt, melted butter, and baking powder in a bowl until smooth. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes to hydrate.
2 Make the syrup by boiling sugar, water, and lemon juice for 10 minutes. Add orange blossom water, stir, and let cool completely.
3 Grease a 9x13 baking pan with tahini. Spread the batter evenly, smoothing the top with a wet spatula for a flat surface.
4 Score the batter into diamond or square shapes with a sharp knife. Press one blanched almond into the center of each piece.
5 Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes until the top is deeply golden and the cake pulls slightly away from the edges of the pan.
6 Pour the cold syrup evenly over the hot cake immediately out of the oven. Let it absorb for at least one hour before serving.

Did You Know?

The secret to perfect namoura is the temperature contrast — cold syrup must meet hot cake for ideal absorption without sogginess.