Healthy Semolina Cake (Basbousah)

Hello everyone! Ramadan is nearly over but my recipes are still getting healthier! Basbousah or Nammoura is one of my childhood favorite Lebanese desserts. Well of course because it’s a semolina cake drowned with syrup aka sugar. I decided to give this classic dessert a new healthy identity so my recipe for today is the Healthy Semolina Cake (Basbousah)! I love to experiment and make healthy snacks and healthy recipes out of traditional not-so-healthy treats. Actually this one was pretty easy. In fact, the semolina cake itself is not that high in calories and sugar. I love using sweetener instead of sugar to make the syrup so half the calories are gone!

This recipe requires that the mixture rests for at least 1 hour so the Semolina can absorb all the yogurt and the orange blossom water to become moist. So avoid baking it immediately as it will turn out dry (I’ve been there).

Another thing is the pan you’re willing to use. I used my rectangular 20*30 cm so the Basbousah pieces were not thin nor thick, kind of in between (as you can see in the picture below). So if you want a thinner or thicker pieces, adjust your pan accordingly.

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Healthy Semolina Cake Basbousah)

Course Dessert

Cuisine Lebanese

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Resting time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes

Servings 24 pieces

Ingredients

Syrup

• 2 cups sugar or dry sweetener of choice
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp orange blossom water (may zaher)

Semolina Cake

• 2 cups Semolina
• 1/2 cup sugar or dry sweetener of choice
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup yogurt (laban)
• 4 tbsp orange blossom water
• 1 tbsp crushed almonds to garnish

Instructions

Syrup

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, place the sugar and water. Stir until sugar is fully dissolved.

2. Add the lemon juice and orange blossom water and stir until just combined. Take off heat and let it completely cool to room temperature.

Semolina Cake

1. In a large bowl, mix the semolina with sugar, baking soda and salt.

2. Add the yogurt and orange blossom water and mix until just combined. Cover and let rest for 1 hour.

3. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a 20*30 cm rectangular pan with parchment paper or grease it with a bit of oil.

4. Pour mixture into prepared pan and distribute it evenly. Use a bit of water on the back of a spoon to help you with the process.

5. Using a knife, cut the Semolina mixture as you like, I did mine in a diamond shape. Place the crushed almonds on top and bake for around 40 mins or until edges start to separate from the pan and it's golden brown on top.

6. Remove from oven and immediately pour all the syrup on top. Let the semolina cake absorb all the syrup while it's cooling.

Nutrition facts are based on a recipe made with sweetener and low fat yogurt.