Basbousa — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A moist, syrup-soaked semolina cake flavored with coconut and rose water, cut into diamond shapes and topped with almonds. This beloved Sudanese dessert melts in the mouth.

Ingredients

2 cups fine semolina
1 cup sugar
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 tsp baking powder
Whole almonds for topping
For syrup: 1.5 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp rose water

Instructions

1 Mix semolina, sugar, yogurt, melted butter, coconut, and baking powder in a bowl until well combined. Let rest for thirty minutes.
2 Pour the batter into a greased baking pan, spreading evenly. Score into diamond shapes and press an almond into the center of each.
3 Bake at 180C for thirty-five minutes until golden brown on top and a skewer comes out clean from the center.
4 While the cake bakes, make the syrup by boiling sugar and water, then adding lemon juice and rose water. Simmer for ten minutes.
5 Pour cold syrup over the hot cake immediately upon removing from the oven. Let it absorb for at least twenty minutes.
6 Cut along the scored lines and serve at room temperature. The cake should be moist, sweet, and fragrant with rose water.

Did You Know?

In Sudan, basbousa is often the first sweet offered to guests, and refusing a piece is considered impolite.