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,
I can’t wait to try out this recipe! Quick question, can I use fresh shredded coconut or does it have to be dry? I currently have fresh coconuts at home I’d like to use up.
Hi Gigi, I’m thinking it’ll be great to use fresh coconut! I haven’t tried it myself though.
Did you use caster sugar?
This looks yummy and I can’t wait to make it!! I would like to use Hun instead of sugar for the syrup, can you suggest how much honey to use please.
Hi Zahida. Generally speaking, if you want to make a honey simple syrup, you’d need to use 2 parts honey to 1 part water. So in this case, you are using 1 3/4 water, which means you’ll need 3 1/2 cups honey. But can start with 2 1/2 to 3 cups of honey. Hope you enjoy it!
I work with many Middle Eastern people and they exposed me to their cuisine at a local restaurant. The cook there makes an amazing basbousa and I, being a baker, wanted to try it. I found your recipe and followed it exactly… and my coworker’s declared it BETTER THAN THE RESTAURANT’S!!
Amazing recipe. Thank you for sharing it!
Thank you so much, Kassie!!!! So glad you all enjoyed it! Hope you find more recipes here to try!
This was absolutely delicious, easy, and addictive! I didn’t refrigerate it and it only lasted 2 days on the counter. I’m so glad for having this added to my recipe collection. Thanks for sharing it! I can’t wait to make this again.
Awesome, Jamie! So so glad you liked it!!!
Hi,
I made this desert just for my boys this Saturday, it was amazing, easy and tasty. I put a pinch of salt. It became even better after 2-3 hours. Thank you!!!
Awesome, Karin! I’m going to try and add a pinch of salt next time…great idea!
Thank you for sharing this story and your Aunt Mahas recipe. I made this for my fathers birthday. I come from a Greek heritage and we have a similar semolina cake but I wanted to make one without eggs or dairy as my father is fasting for Easter.
I replaced the dairy with non dairy yoghurt, milk and butter and it came out amazing!! Thank you thank you for sharing this and big love to your Aunt!
Vykotria, that is wonderful to hear! I am so glad you enjoyed the Basbousa. And happy birthday to your father!
I prepared this cake today as part of a culinary class I got to teach to international high school students. We chose it as the dessert for our Middle Eastern feast! It was absolutely amazing. We didn’t have coconut, also we added a little rosewater to the syrup, and garnished the cake with the almonds and some edible rose petals!! It was wonderfully decadent. I was so proud of the students, too! Thanks for introducing me to this wonderful dessert which is now solidly a part of my repertoire!
I am so glad to hear this, Julie! Thank you for giving this recipe a try. I am so glad you and the class enjoyed it. And thank you for taking the time to share with me.
Hi Suzy, I’m so excited to try this cake out as soon as possible. I prefer my desserts to be moderately sweet and so would like to know if it would be okay to reduce the sugar added to the cake part of the recipe, so that the syrup balances everything. I’m a bit concerned that the finished cake would be too sweet for my liking. Thanks 🙂
Hi Neha, if you’re not much of a sweet tooth, then yes, I think reducing the sugar a bit would be a good idea. Enjoy!
Just made this for a huge group and it was awesome. Multiplied it by 16 and used all fine semolina. Love this! Thank you.
Wonderful, Suzanne! So glad you all enjoyed it!
Does it become over sweety when I add sugar in cake batter followed by sugar syrup
Hi there, it is meant to be a sweet cake drenched in the honey syrup. If that’s a big concern for you, you can add only 1/2 of the syrup and see.
Can I use Greek yoghurt for this recipe?
Hi Malisha…You can, although it’s best to use plain regular yogurt only because Greek yogurt is a lot thicker.
Thanks for the recipe. My wife is Greek, and we liked the food mediterranea.
Great! Enjoy!
Hi! Thank you so much for this recipe. 🙂 can I use fine semolina entirely?
Yes! You absolutely can. Enjoy!
Hi Suzy
I’m not entirely sure why this post has escaped my radar! As we’re cutting down on gluten in this house this is perfect. I’m sure I could make this with five grain polenta rather than semolina.
I actually love these sort of cakes that are sticky sweet, rather than full of buttercream.
What a great idea to try five grain polenta, David! This is my favorite cake…I love it drenched in syrup!!! Enjoy!
Hi David! Basbousa is my absolute favorite cake! I hope you love it!
Hi there, this came out rathef tasty. I however did face a small challange. Like you instructed, I took out the hot basbousa frm the oven and poured the cooled sugar syrup and allowed it to cool.
When I tried to undish it out of the baking pot, it would not move an inch. I had to eventually break it to dish it out. How can I take the whole round basbousa out of the baking dish without breaking it.
Bissie, thanks so much for sharing! I’m glad you found the basbousa tasty. So, as instructed at the very end of the step-by-step, when the basbousa is ready, after it absorbed the syrup, you simply top it with the coconut topping then slice and serve it by the slice. You do not actually “undish” the whole basbousa cake onto a serving plate…it is sticky as you experienced, and comes out one slice at a time as you see in the pictures. Hope this helps.
Hi I am from India and while looking for recipes to use up some extra semolina I came across yours. I tried it and everyone in my family loved it!! The only problem was that it had become too soggy. It was only after a day that it dried out to the texture that was manageable but by that time only a couple of pieces were left ?. What i want to know is the actual quantity of syrup that should be poured onto the cake?
Hi Bindu! Thanks for stopping in!!! So this cake is supposed to be quite drenched in syrup…and it does break apart easily. You are supposed to use all the syrup, pour on the hot cake and leave it for at least 1 hour so that the cake will completely soak the syrup in. It is messy…by sounds like your family enjoyed it. It’s a favorite of ours!