Harissa Helwa — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A dense, moist semolina cake soaked in honey syrup and studded with almonds. Not to be confused with the chili paste, this Libyan harissa is a beloved sweet treat.

Ingredients

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

Instructions

1 Mix semolina, sugar, yogurt, melted butter, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth. Rest 20 minutes.
2 Make syrup by boiling sugar, water, and lemon juice for 8 minutes. Add orange blossom water and cool.
3 Spread batter evenly in a greased 9x13 pan. Score into diamond shapes.
4 Press one whole almond into the center of each diamond piece.
5 Bake at 180C for 30-35 minutes until deep golden on top.
6 Pour cold syrup over hot cake immediately. Let absorb 1 hour before serving.

Did You Know?

When Libyans say "harissa," context is everything. Say it at a bakery and you get sweet cake; say it at a condiment shop and you get fiery chili paste.