Basbousa - Baking Bloggers

This month for Baking Bloggers we are focusing on Middle Eastern Baking and this is my JAM! I love all things middle eastern, especially the food. This cake is a personal favorite. The texture is dense and moist and has a delicious flavor thanks to the citrus and the blossom water.

Light adapted from Fauzia's Kitchen Fun. AND, check out all the other cool things everyone else made for this event.  

Baking Bloggers February 2020

Middle Eastern Baking

• Apricot Pistachio Cake from Food Lust People Love
• Basbousa Cake from Pandemonium Noshery
• Cottage Cheese and Veggies Borek from Sneha's Recipe
• Easy Middle Eastern Puff Pastry Cheese Bourekas by Fatih, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Laffa Bread from Making Miracles
• Lebanese Sesame Cookies from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Mana'eesh (Palestinian Flatbread) from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Parda Pulao - Iraqi Parda Plau from The Schizo Chef
• Roast Chicken Shwarma from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Umm Ali from Caroline's Cooking

1 3/4 c. semolina
1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. flaked coconut
1 stick butter, melted
1 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 tsp. orange blossom water or vanilla extract
2 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 c. whole or slivered almonds

Bring the 1 cup of sugar and the water to a boil. Simmer gently for 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Stir in the orange blossom water or vanilla and lemon juice and set aside to cool. Once slightly cool place in the fridge to chill.  

Place the flaked coconut in a food processor and run until it is ground. You want to reduce it from shreds, but not so fine it's like flour. Add the semolina and buttermilk and pulse once to combine. Allow to stand for 1 hour. 

Pre-heat the oven to 350.

Combine the buttermilk mixture, the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Stir to mix really well and then pour in to a greased 7x11 baking dish. 

Score the top of the cake batter in to diamonds and place a whole almond or almond slivers in the center of each piece. 

Place in the over and bake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick interested in the center comes out clean. 

Remove from the oven and run the knife all the way through the cake along the score marks. Drizzle the cake with the cold sugar syrup and place back in the oven for 5 minutes. 

Remove the cake again and allow to cool slightly before serving. Good hot or cool.