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. Use the rest of the bag to make Baghrir, tender semolina pancakes!
- 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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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,
Made it and loved it, great recipe, thank you. My only comment is that, if you make the syrup while the cake is cooking, there is no way you can cool it by the time the cake is done. I made the syrup before I neven started to assemble cake ingredients and it was still pretty hot when the cake was done. Next time I will literally make it in advance.
Thanks again.
David
Thank you for the feedback, David!
Am trying this out for the first time and have some doubts.
– how thick should the sugar syrup be? Am only familiar with string consistency. Should it be 1 string ? Or then for how long should it boil?
– if I want to use rose essence instead, how much should I use? And am guessing, not use the cinnamon and lemon juice.
Hi, Viveka! It should thicken to a “syrup” consistency. If you’ve used a maple or agave syrup for pancakes for example, this on should turn our similarly. But don’t worry if it’s not perfect, it will still taste great! As for the rose essence, I have not tried using that personally, so I can’t really advise there… I’m sorry.
Hi Suzy,
Thank you for sharing your recipe. Just one question, do you pour ALL the syrup into the cake? It seems like a lot of syrup. Won’t the cake get soggy?
Lucy,
Yes, all the syrup is poured over the cake. Enjoy
Hi.,
Instead of adding cinnamon to the syrup, can I add rose essence?
What other flavors syrup would go best with the cake?
That will work, Padma! You can also use orange blossom
Hi, do you think it would be ok to use non dairy yogurt and oil instead of what’s written?
Hi Issa, I don’t have much experience with non dairy yogurt so I can’t advice you on that for sure, but it seems it could work. As far as oil vs. butter, no, that will not produce the same result. Personally, this is one of the very very few recipes I use butter.
hi!!
Is it okay to use all fine semolina flour rather than a combination of coarse + fine?
Thanks!
Yes, you can use just the fine semolina. The addition of coarse semolina provides more texture.
I am baking this right now and freaked out as I was checking out other recipes which ask for eggs. Is this receive without eggs or is it missed from the instructions?. Thanks
Hello! I do not use eggs in this Basbousa recipe. I hope you enjoyed it!
Exactly how many grams of semolina is required for this recipe?
Hello, we use cups as a measure here, but I’ve done a quick search for you and it sounds like 1 cup semolina = 167 grams. This recipe uses 2 cups, so the assumption is 334 grams is what you need.
Thank you 🙂
Is this the recipe of authentic Egyptian basbousa? ?
Can I substitute the semolina with the same amount of polenta for a gluten-free option?
I tried with millets before but it didn’t really turn out like basbousa.
Sara, yes, this is my aunt’s basbousa recipe and she is Egyptian 🙂 Semolina is what is traditionally used for it’s unique texture and how it absorbs the syrup. But, you’re welcome to give polenta a try. My guess is that it will not have the same texture and may be a bit more dense.
Hi!
I’m so close to baking this tonight! But I’m wondering if condensed milk can be added at some point in this recipe. Would it be a bad idea? I just have some let over condensed milk and want to use it if possible.
🙂 Thank you for sharing this promising recipe.
Hi there. Thanks for your question. I am not always able to answer on the spot, so I apologize for that. This recipe does not use condensed milk. It would not be needed.
look yummy
This turned out to be delicious. I just reduced the syrup quantity into half as it would have been too sweet for us. It is perfect for us now. Thank you very much for the recipe
Wonderful, Niki! yes, it’s kinda drenched in syrup, but as you mentioned, that is easy to adapt.
Can we use ghee instead of butter? If yes, would it be the same quantity as the butter mentioned in the recipe or different?
Can we use fresh grated coconut?
yes,you can use ghee. Same amount will work.
I cooked…became delicious?????..thanks for the recipe❤..love you?
So glad to hear it! Thank you
Could I substitute olive oil for the butter without negatively affecting the flavor?
Lisa, this recipe in particular is best with ghee or butter (ghee is a healthier option)
How do I broil it?
place in oven using broiler setting very very briefly. Watch carefully not to burn the top
How far in advance can it be made? Should it go in the fridge?
You can make this a couple nights in advance, if you like. I keep mine in the fridge, but it’s best served at room temperature, so bring it out far in advance of serving.
Sounds good – thanks for your quick reply!