⏱ Prep: 15 min 🔥Bake: 30–35 min 👤Makes: 16–20 pieces 🌿Diet: Vegetarian
Basbousa recipe is the Middle Eastern semolina cake that every bakery in Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey sells by the tray, golden, slightly dense, fragrant with rose water and soaked until every bite is moist with sugar syrup. One bowl, pantry ingredients, thirty-five minutes of baking. The hardest part is waiting for it to cool before eating.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 2 cups (340g) coarse semolina, coarse semolina, not fine. Coarse semolina produces the characteristic slightly grainy, tender texture of authentic basbousa. Fine semolina produces something closer to a dense flour cake. Available at Middle Eastern grocery stores, Indian grocery stores and online.
- ½ cup (50g) desiccated coconut, optional but traditional in the Egyptian version. Adds chewiness and a subtle sweetness. Omit if you prefer a plainer basbousa, increase semolina by ¼ cup.
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted. Or ghee for a more authentic Middle Eastern flavor and a slightly richer result. Confirmed across multiple sources as the preferred fat.
- 1 cup (240g) plain full-fat yogurt, not Greek yogurt, the texture will be too thick. Regular full-fat plain yogurt produces the correct moist, tender crumb.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whole blanched almonds or slivered almonds, for topping. One per diamond-shaped piece.
For the rose water syrup
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (180ml) water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, prevents the syrup from crystallizing
- 1 tablespoon rose water, added off the heat to preserve the fragrance. Available at Middle Eastern grocery stores, Whole Foods and Amazon. Substitute: 1 tablespoon orange blossom water, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract for a non-floral version.
Step by step
- Mix the batter. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish generously with butter or ghee. In a large bowl, pour the melted butter over the semolina. Stir thoroughly until every grain is coated, this step prevents the semolina from absorbing all the moisture too quickly during baking. Add the coconut, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Add the yogurt and stir until a thick, uniform batter forms.The batter will be noticeably thicker than standard cake batter, almost like a stiff porridge. This is correct. Do not add extra liquid.
- Press and score. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish. Wet your hand and press the batter into an even, smooth layer approximately ¾ inch (2cm) thick. Using a sharp knife, score the surface into diamond or square shapes, cut all the way through to the bottom of the pan. Press one almond into the center of each diamond.Scoring before baking is essential, it defines the pieces and allows the syrup to penetrate every cut edge. Re-cut along the same lines immediately after baking while still hot, before pouring the syrup.
- Bake. Bake at 375°F for 30–35 minutes until the top and edges are a deep golden brown and the almonds are toasted. The surface should feel set and firm when pressed lightly in the center.Do not underbake, pale basbousa absorbs the syrup unevenly and stays wet in the center. A deep golden color all over means the semolina is fully toasted and ready to absorb the syrup evenly.
- Make the syrup. While the basbousa bakes, combine sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes until slightly thickened, it should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat. Add the rose water. Stir once and allow the syrup to cool for 15–20 minutes until warm but not boiling.The temperature contrast is the key: hot cake needs warm-to-cool syrup, and cool cake needs hot syrup. For this recipe, hot cake, warm syrup. This allows maximum absorption without making the surface soggy.
- Soak and rest. As soon as the basbousa comes out of the oven, re-cut along all the scored lines while still hot. Pour the warm syrup evenly over the entire surface, it will hiss and sizzle as it hits the hot cake. Use all of it. Allow the basbousa to rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes, ideally 1–2 hours before serving. The syrup needs time to absorb completely and the cake needs time to set.Do not skip the resting time. Basbousa served immediately after adding the syrup is wet and falls apart. Basbousa rested for 1 hour is firm, fully absorbed and holds its diamond shape cleanly when lifted.
The one rule
Pour the syrup over the cake the moment it leaves the oven, not 5 minutes later, not after it cools.
Hot semolina absorbs syrup immediately and deeply. Cool semolina resists absorption and the syrup pools on the surface instead of penetrating.
The secret is in the syrup, always pour the cooled syrup over the hot cake straight from the oven, which allows the semolina to fully absorb the liquid, ensuring every piece is wonderfully moist. Re-cut the pieces first, then pour. Every cut edge draws in the syrup.
Make it ahead
Claire’s note
Basbousa is genuinely better the next day and the day after that. The syrup continues absorbing overnight and the texture becomes progressively more moist and fragrant. Make it the day before serving and leave covered at room temperature, do not refrigerate, as cold dulls the rose water fragrance and firms the texture. It keeps at room temperature for 3 days in an airtight container. Refrigerated it keeps for 1 week but needs 20 minutes at room temperature before serving. The rose water fragrance is most vivid in the first 24 hours for maximum impact, serve the day after baking.
Serve with
Basbousa is served at room temperature, never warm with strong Arabic coffee or sweet mint tea alongside. On a full Middle Eastern dessert spread it sits beside baklava and knafeh as the softer, more yielding counterpoint to the crispier pastries. For everything else in the Middle Eastern sweets collection the complete Lebanese recipes collection have it all.
Add basbousa to your weekly meal planner as a make-ahead dessert, bake Saturday, serve Sunday, better Monday. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
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Basbousa
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 16–20 pieces 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A traditional Middle Eastern semolina cake soaked in rose water syrup, golden and fragrant, perfect for desserts.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (340g) coarse semolina
- ½ cup (50g) desiccated coconut (optional)
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (240g) plain full-fat yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whole blanched almonds or slivered almonds (for topping)
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar (for syrup)
- ¾ cup (180ml) water
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon rose water
Instructions
- Mix the batter. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, pour the melted butter over the semolina and stir until every grain is coated. Add the coconut, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla. Mix well. Add the yogurt and stir until a thick batter forms.
- Press and score. Transfer the batter to the prepared dish. Wet your hand and press the batter into an even layer about ¾ inch thick. Score the surface into diamond shapes and press an almond into each piece.
- Bake. Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden brown. Do not underbake.
- Make the syrup. In a saucepan, combine sugar, water, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the rose water.
- Soak and rest. As soon as the basbousa comes out of the oven, re-cut along the scored lines and pour the warm syrup over it. Allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
Basbousa is best served at room temperature and is more flavorful the day after baking. It can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 piece
- Calories: 250
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 200mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
