Basboosa is my all time favorite Egyptian dessert. On short trips to Egypt, I can afford to indulge, and I take the opportunity to eat as much as I can. During long stays, however, I need to exercise great self-restraint. In addition to being delicious, Basboosa is a breeze to prepare. Basboosa vendors in old Cairo used to entice passersby with the phrase “Come and taste the basboosa…it’s sweeter than a bride’s kiss!” (it rhymes in Arabic). In Alexandria, Egypt, basboosa is sometimes called harissa.
Ingredients:
For the syrup:
1 lemon
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons honey
For the Semolina Cake:
Butter for greasing pan
1 ½ cups semolina
½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ melted butter
½ cup plain, full-fat yogurt
Handful of blanched almonds to decorate
For the syrup:
1 lemon
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons honey
For the Semolina Cake:
Butter for greasing pan
1 ½ cups semolina
½ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ melted butter
½ cup plain, full-fat yogurt
Handful of blanched almonds to decorate
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a shallow 11x17-inch baking pan. Peel 2 to 3 strips of lemon peel off of the lemon and place into a medium saucepan. Juice the lemon and pour into the same saucepan. Add sugar and 1 cup water into the saucepan and stir. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stop stirring once the mixture begins to boil. Take syrup off heat, add honey, and stir. Allow to cool and discard lemon peel. Set aside to cool while making the cake. Mix semolina, flour, sugar, and baking powder together. Add clarified butter, blend well, and stir in the yogurt. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. With wet hands, press down evenly, making sure that the surface is smooth and level. Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Cut cake into 2x2-inch squares being careful not to cut all the way down to the bottom of the pan (this causes the syrup to immediately sink to the bottom when poured on top). Lightly press an almond into the center of each square. Return the pan to the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven. Cover with syrup. Allow to absorb syrup and cool before serving.
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease a shallow 11x17-inch baking pan. Peel 2 to 3 strips of lemon peel off of the lemon and place into a medium saucepan. Juice the lemon and pour into the same saucepan. Add sugar and 1 cup water into the saucepan and stir. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stop stirring once the mixture begins to boil. Take syrup off heat, add honey, and stir. Allow to cool and discard lemon peel. Set aside to cool while making the cake. Mix semolina, flour, sugar, and baking powder together. Add clarified butter, blend well, and stir in the yogurt. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. With wet hands, press down evenly, making sure that the surface is smooth and level. Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Cut cake into 2x2-inch squares being careful not to cut all the way down to the bottom of the pan (this causes the syrup to immediately sink to the bottom when poured on top). Lightly press an almond into the center of each square. Return the pan to the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven. Cover with syrup. Allow to absorb syrup and cool before serving.