Basbousa, namoura, or hareeseh, whatever Arabic name you give to this semolina cake, is usually impossibly soft, dense, and flecked with texture throughout. Traditionally, the cake pan is greased with tahini, which forms a toasty crust encasing the semolina-flecked cake. I like to use a square pan, as I love the graphic nature of the grid-pattern made with the almonds, but an 8" round pan works just as well.

　　

Ingredients

Makes one 8-inch (20-cm) square cake

　　

Cake

1 Tbsp. tahini, for greasing

　　2½ cups (12 oz. or 350 g) fine semolina

　　½ cup (3 oz. or 100 g) superfine or sugar

　　1 tsp. baking powder

　　1 tsp. baking soda

　　½ cup (4 fl oz. or 120 ml) milk

　　½ cup (4 oz. or 120 g) plain yogurt

　　3 ½ oz. (100 g) unsalted butter, melted

　　16 blanched almonds

　　

Syrup

¾ cup (4 oz. or 120 g) superfine or caster sugar

　　Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

　　1 bay leaf

　　1 Tbsp. rose water or orange blossom water

　　

Step 1

Heat the oven to 350°F or 180°C and grease an 8-inch (20-cm) square baking pan with the tahini.

　　

Step 2

Put all the dry ingredients for the cake into a large mixing bowl and mix to combine. Add the milk, yogurt, and melted butter, then use an electric whisk to beat until it forms a smooth, creamy batter.

　　

Step 3

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, then arrange the almonds in a 4 x 4 grid pattern on the cake, so that each slice will have an almond in the center when sliced. Bake in the hot oven for 40 minutes.

　　

Step 4

While the cake is cooking, make the syrup by putting all of the ingredients into a saucepan with ½ cup (4 fl. oz. or 120 ml) of water. Let the sugar dissolve over a moderate heat, then turn the heat up and boil until it has a syrupy consistency (about 10 minutes). Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

　　

Step 5

Remove the cake from the oven and, while it’s still hot, pour the syrup all over it. Allow the cake to stand in the pan for 20 minutes to absorb the syrup, then slice into 16 squares and serve.

　　Excerpted from Middle Eastern Sweets by Salma Hage. Copyright © 2021 by Salma Hage. Buy the full book from Phaidon Press or Amazon.