Moroccan Semolina Cake - Basbousa

This Moroccan Babousa is my absolute favorite semolina cake—soaked in fragrant orange blossom syrup, perfectly nutty, and impossibly moist, it’s the sweet, soulful hug I want to give everyone on Gastrosoul.

Basbousa - Moroccan Semolina Cake

INGREDIENTS

• 2c fine semolina 

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup butter 

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup sugar

• 3-4 teaspoons honey

• ½ teaspoon orange blossom water

METHOOD

On medium heat melt the butter into the milk until combined and warm 

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

Pour warm milk and butter into dry ingredients and mix well.  The mixture will not be as thin as cake batter - that is is  

Preheat the oven to 375F.  

Grease pan with butter and pour the batter into an 8" baking dish - the cake will not rise, and should be a thickness of 1/4" - 1/2".  

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is browned.

To prepare syrup

In a saucepan combine water, sugar and honey.  

Allow to cook for 5-10  minutes until it has reduced to a syrup.  

When cake is removed from the oven, place onto serving dish and cover with syrup.  

You may want to poke the cake with a fork to allow the syrup to permeate into the cake.  You can top with nuts, or powdered sugar or coconut.

Notes

You can use any shape baking dish that you like. You will need to adjust the baking time if you have a thicker or thinner batter.