If, like me, you love anything made with semolina, you will love this dessert. Basboussa, (known as Namoura in Lebanon and Revani in Greece) is Arabic for ‘just a kiss’.
There are many different ways of preparing Basboussa, but this recipe is always a real hit.
This recipe is so simple, you will be making it all the time. Basboussa is delicious served after a meal, or with coffee or tea, and makes a lovely gift, wrapped in cellophane and ribbon.
It is often made with Rosewater, which I am not fond of at all, so I used Orange Blossom Water instead. Cortas is our favourite, it has a wonderful aroma and flavour. Alternatively, you could use 1 tablespoon of lemon juice instead.
Helpful tips
- It is best made with coarse semolina for a fabulous slightly spongy texture – the milk and yoghurt provide sufficient moisture.
- If you prefer a sweeter dessert, make a thicker sugar syrup by adding more sugar, according to your taste, and cooking for longer.
- For mini basboussas, pour the mixture into buttered cupcake tins and bake for 15 minutes.
This recipe does not use eggs, and you can replace the butter with almond butter to make it vegan.
To store, cover and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
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Basboussa
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarse Semolina
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup melted butter or almond butter
- ⅓ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup almonds
For the syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320℉/175℃/160℃ fan, and butter an 8-inch (20 cm) baking dish.
- In a large bowl, mix the semolina flour, 1 cup of sugar, the butter and the baking powder.
- Add the milk and yogurt and mix till it is like a paste.
- Spread the mixture evenly into the buttered baking dish and smooth it down. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle, comes out clean.
To make the syrup
- In a small saucepan, combine the water and 1 cup sugar. Stir till the sugar dissolves, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly and add the orange blossom water. Set aside till the cake is ready.
- Remove the cake from the oven. Cut into diamond shapes with a butter knife and press an almond in each piece.
- While it is still warm, pour the syrup evenly over the top of the cake so it soaks all the way through.
- Place the cake back in the oven for 5 minutes or till the top is a lovely golden colour.
- Allow the cake to cool before serving. Press an almond into each diamond shape and serve.
Notes
- For mini basbousas, pour the mixture into buttered cupcake tins and bake for 15 minutes (till golden brown). Pour sugar syrup over the mini version and bake for another 2-3 minutes.
- Semolina and Orange blossom water can be found at most Italian or Middle Eastern grocery stores.
- Adjust the level of sweetness by halving or adding to the amount of sugar in the syrup.
- To make it vegan, substitute the butter with almond butter
- Keep covered in a cool kitchen for up to 3 days.
Equipment
Nutrition
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Like this recipe? Please comment and/or give it a star rating. Thank you.
Isabelle
I am wondering if I can use couscous instead of semolina,as I am in Thailand.
Can you tell me ? 😊
Nicole Shroff
Unfortunately couscous won’t work for basbousa, you will really need semolina. I believe it is available in the European/foreign food stores around Thailand, or you could try Amazon. I do hope you are able to find it, and let me know how it turned out for you.
Soniya
Love the addition of citrus flavor in the basbousa!! Yummilicious!
Uma Srinivas
Ingredients are familiar but not name of the desserts! Lovely post:)
Freda
Lovely cake! I love semolina based cakes. I’m yet to try this with orange blossom water. Although I love rose flavors in baked goodies, I’m sure this must be great as well.
Dhwani @cookingcarnival
Looks absolutely delicious!! I ll give this a try.
laughingspatula
I have never tried Basbousa but I do love cake and citrus! This looks truly yummy!
linda spiker
Lovely recipe! And I love orange blossom water!
Tara
Such an incredible dessert! I love that you used orange blossom instead of rose. Yum!
brandidcrawfordgmailcom
I love that this is vegan! Looks tasty!
Manju | Cooking Curries
I make a similar orange almond semolina cake and this looks great too! I love that name!
Ferhat
absolutely fantastic looks delicious. I will definitely try it today.
admin
Thanks Ferhat, hope you enjoy it ?