Basbousa is a rich and flavorful egg-free semolina cake drenched in a cinnamon syrup and topped with crunchy almonds and shredded coconut. My recipe, passed down from my aunt Maha, will teach you how to make Egyptian basbousa at home!
Basbousa may not be as internationally famous as baklava, but for me, it’s pure childhood nostalgia. Growing up in Egypt, basbousa was a staple dessert at just about every celebration.
Basbousa and its cousins, Greek Revani and Lebanese Namoura, is typically sliced into a fancy diamond pattern with a perfectly placed nut in the center of each slice. If you’ve been here a while you know I don’t mess with all of that, but more power to you if you’d like to slice it the traditional way!
A few things make my basbousa recipe special. I use a combination of coarse and fine semolina flour, which makes the crumb perfectly soft but also sturdy enough to soak in the cinnamon-scented syrup without getting soggy. Rather than tuck a perfectly placed almond on each slice, I just sprinkle the top with toasted coconut and sliced almonds.
Either way, this basbousa recipe is sweet but not overly so, deliciously sticky, happily messy, and very easy to make. Its meant to be shared with friends and family on special occasions and I can’t wait to share it with you!
Table of Contents
What is in Basbousa?
Unlike Western-style cakes, basbousa doesn’t rely on eggs. Yogurt, milk, and butter hydrate the Semolina, creating structure for the cake, which creates a deliciously rich cake that soaks up the cinnamon syrup like a dream without getting soggy.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake and the cinnamon simple syrup.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Adds moisture and a tangy flavor to balance the sweetness.
- Semolina flour: I like to combine the softness of fine semolina and the satisfying texture of coarse, but you can use all coarse semolina.
- Baking powder: Adds a bit of lift to the cake so it’s not overly dense.
- Milk: I like the lightness of 2% milk with this recipe, but whole milk also works.
- Butter adds richness and tenderizes the cake.
- Shredded coconut adds crunch and sweetness. Not all basbousa recipes include coconut–simply leave this off if you’re not a fan.
- Sliced almonds add another layer of texture and flavor. Feel free to substitute with other tender nuts, like crushed walnuts, pistachios, or pine nuts.
- Cinnamon stick adds a cozy, warming flavor and aroma to the syrup without overpowering.
- Lemon juice balances the sweetness of the simple syrup.
How to Make Basbousa
Though basbousa spends about 45 minutes in your oven, you’ll want to budget another hour of rest. This allows the cake to soak up all the delicious cinnamon simple syrup and become irresistibly sweet and tender. Here are the steps:
- Get ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to combine 1 cup sugar and 1 cup yogurt. Add 1 cup coarse semolina, 1 cup fine semolina, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/3 cup 2% milk. Stir to combine. Finally, stir in 1/2 cup melted butter. Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan and use a spatula to smooth the top.
- Bake the cake: Transfer the cake pan to the heated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. If you need to, you can put it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. You want it to have a little color, but keep an eye on it so the cake doesn’t burn.
- Meanwhile, prepare the syrup: While the cake bakes, make the cinnamon simple syrup. Set a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 3/4 cups water, and 1 cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice. Let cool completely, then remove the cinnamon stick.
- Soak the cake: As soon as the basbousa is removed from the oven, pour the cool syrup on the hot basbousa. The pan may fill up with the liquid, and the cake may even float for a second, but it’s OK. Just let it absorb into the cake. Let the cake cool completely, as the syrup must be fully absorbed into the cake. For best results, let it sit for 1 hour before serving.
- Serve: To serve, you can either serve it from the baking pan or run a knife around the edges and invert the cake onto a plate. Top the cake with 1/4 cup each of flaked coconut and sliced almonds. Cut into 8 slices and enjoy!
What to Serve with Basbousa
Basbousa is meant to be shared with friends and family. Serve as an afternoon or after-dinner treat with Arabic Tea. For a caffeine-free option, serve with Greek mountain tea, or simply steep fresh mint leaves in hot water.
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Basbousa (Egyptian Semolina Cake)
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup (214g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup (150g) fine semolina
- 1 cup (150g) coarse semolina
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/3 cup 2% milk
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut or coconut chips
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
For the Cinnamon Simple Syrup
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Get ready: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, use a rubber spatula to combine the sugar and yogurt. Add the semolina flours, baking powder, and milk. Stir to combine. Finally, stir in the melted butter.
- Bake the cake: Transfer the batter into the prepared cake pan. Use a spatula to smooth the batter and transfer the cake pan to the heated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the cake is golden brown. If you need to you can put it under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. You want it to have a little color, but keep an eye on it so the cake doesn’t burn.
- Prepare the syrup: While the cake bakes, make the cinnamon simple syrup. Set a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sugar, water, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool completely, then remove the cinnamon stick.
- Soak the cake: As soon as the basbousa is removed from the oven, pour the cool syrup on the hot basbousa. The pan may fill up with the liquid and the cake may even float for a second, but it’s OK. Just let it absorb into the cake. Let the cake cool completely, as the syrup must be fully absorbed into the cake. For best results, let it sit for 1 hour before serving.
- Serve: To serve, you can either serve it from the baking pan or run a knife around the edges and invert the cake onto a plate. Top the cake with the flaked coconut and sliced almonds. Cut into 8 slices and enjoy!
Notes
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including olive oils, honey, jams, and spices.
- Alternative flour options: You can use 2 cups coarse semolina or 2 cups original Cream of Wheat enriched farina.
- For best results, let Basbousa sit for 1 hour before serving. This allows for the syrup to be absorbed into the cake.
Nutrition
*This post has recently been updated with new information for readers’ benefit.
Hi Suzy, can i use maple syrup instead of making sugar syrup?
Hi Maisah, I know you received my answer by e-mail, but I’ll answer here again for the sake of others. For this particular recipe, I highly recommend making the simple cinnamon syrup as opposed to using maple syrup. This cake is drenched in a lot of syrup, and maple syrup is fairly strong in flavor.
Quick Question….You pour the syrup on the cake while it’s still in the pan, and then let it sit for an hour or so, and then you flip it out upside down (from the 9-inch pan), and then you have to flip it again to be right side up, right?
Is it a bad idea just to get it out of the pan immediately after baking and before putting the syrup on it to avoid flipping it around covered in syrup? Otherwise, I’d probably have to keep it in the pan (as it is not springform).
Thanks—
Hi Julie, yes, the syrup goes on the cake immediately when you take it out of the oven. So yes, it remains in the pan. Enjoy!
Hi Suzy,
The cake looks amazing and I really want to try it out. Only I cudn’t find all fine semolina. Would it be okay if I use coarse semolina? Would there be any changes required in the recipe?
Deepti…thank you for your question. I am sorry that I haven’t been able to reply as quickly as I could to comments. Yes, you can use coarse semolina instead. No changes necessary 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It looks divine and must taste scrumptious. I have a work-do next week whereby we all need to bake, and now seeing this simple recipe, with an easy step by step plan, with pictures. It has now put me at ease.
Shaila…glad you found this recipe! And hope it turned out great for you. Thanks for taking the time to share! And do stop by again 🙂
Hi Suzy,
Indeed a beautifully looking cake. Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to try.
Just one question, how much in advance can I make this cake? and best way to store it (with/o syrup)?
Hi Priyanka! So the syrup must be poured on the cake immediately when you take it out of the oven (when the cake is hot, it will absorb the syrup better). You let it sit for at least an hour before serving. As far as how long it will store; it won’t be that different from other cakes (2-4 days, refrigerated). If you refrigerate it, you’ll want to make sure it gets to room temperature before serving; you can also give it a quick warm up.
OMG this looks so soft and yummy. Will surely try this out. Thanks for the detailed recipe
Glad to hear it! I can’t wait for you to give it a try. Thanks for stopping in, Anukampa!
Hi Suzy! Trying the recipe out (thanks for the share!) how thick should the syrup be in terms of consistency?
Hi Sarah, it should thicken to a “syrup” consistency…If you’ve used like a maple or agave syrup for pancakes for example, this one should turn out similarly. But don’t worry if it’s not perfect. It’ll still taste great!
Thanks Suzy! It turned out amazingly well! I’m half Saudi half Syrian and was making this for the first time for my mother on Easter (reminiscent of her sitou’s ba’lawa which was lost). My mother, brother and fiance loved the recipe and I took it into my office the next day (all-arab working environment) and everyone absolutely adored it! Total hit! So thank you :). Thanks so much for sharing and for your response. Will be using your website tons to add to all our family recipes as well 🙂
reminiscent of her sitou’s basbousa* (I also made your baklawa recipe which was wonderful!)
Would it be okay to mix the coconut with the other ingredients when making this recipe? I will serve to some kids and prefer not to top it on the cake. Thanks.
Hi Mona, the coconut is not essential to this recipe. You can leave it out, or serve it on the side for those who might like to add it to their own pieces. If mixed in, it might dry out the basbousa. I haven’t tried it myself though. But that’s my initial thought.
This was absoloutely delish, made it for visitors and they raved about it. Will beaking again and again. Thanks ?
Thank you, Nikki! I am so glad to hear it was a success. Hope you find more recipes to try here. And thank you for sharing 🙂
Lovely recipe! Do you know if I could use all fine semolina for it, though? I recently ordered fine semolina for bread and have lots of it!
Yes, you can Mary! I tend to like mixing fine semolina with coarse semolina for cakes, but either one would work for this recipe, I believe. Enjoy!
We used all fine semolina and it turned out awesome!
Perfect, Maryalecia! I am glad to hear it.
when i poured the syrup on the cake it was floating about in the container in a sea of syrup. i was scared that i had put i too much syrup so i ended up pouring some away. I was wondering if this is how it should be or if i miscalculated my amounts somewhere?
my family raved about how delicious this cake is though 🙂 I made a raspberry, blueberry and orange juice sauce for the top and just used the almonds, missing out the coconut as i have some people in my family who don’t like it 🙂
Yes, it is a lot of syrup, and it does float at first. But you are supposed to leave it be for at least 1 hour before serving so that the syrup is completely absorbed. The end result should be a cake drenched in syrup 🙂 But I like your twist with the raspberry and orange juice topping! 🙂
I want to make this cake, but noticed there are no eggs in recipe, is this correct?
Chris, that is correct! This particular semolina cake does not use eggs.
I was a bit overwhelmed at first with all the Basbousa options, but decided to use yours. Due to difficulty finding course Semolina, I made it using Farina and it was perfect! I made it to take to a Middle Eastern themed dinner party and it was a big hit. Thank you so much for sharing!
Charles, thanks so much for stopping in! Glad this basbousa recipe worked out for you!!!
Hi, i never bake, but this cake turned out to be perfect!!!!
My friends had it and were amazed
Thank you for sharing the recipe and will do it again
Shareenta, thank you so much for sharing! I am glad this cake turned out well for you. It’s an easy go-to dessert around here. Hope you find more recipes to try.
About to make. Any variation on the syrup, such as honey or honey based?
Sure, Bob! You can probably alter my honey syrup from this baklava recipe https://www.themediterraneandish.com/how-to-make-baklava/
It’s a bit on the sweeter side with less water.
I want to make this beautiful cake for a friends birthday! However, I have celiac disease and have to bake gluten free. Do you think I can use corn meal instead of the semolina? Thank you for sharing!
Hi Angela. Semolina and Cornmeal can be interchangeable, but I am afraid probably not in a cake where the main ingredient is semolina. Cornmeal will likely be more coarse and produce a cake far denser in texture. I think you would be better off trying a cake that is cornmeal based as opposed to tweaking this one. I am just afraid it won’t produce the same delightful result, and I would hate for you to be disappointed.