Egyptian Basbousa with Coconut (Printable)

Moist semolina cake flavored with coconut, almonds, and fragrant syrup. Perfect for festive gatherings or tea.

# What You'll Need:

→ Basbousa

01 - 1 1/2 cups fine semolina (225 g)
02 - 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
03 - 1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut (100 g)
04 - 1 cup plain yogurt (240 g)
05 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (115 g)
06 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
07 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
08 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
09 - 12 whole blanched almonds, for garnish

→ Syrup

10 - 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
11 - 3/4 cup water (180 ml)
12 - 1 teaspoon lemon juice
13 - 1 teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water, optional

# Method:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x9 inch baking pan with butter or tahini.
02 - In a large bowl, mix semolina, sugar, desiccated coconut, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly blended.
03 - Add yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla extract to the dry mixture and stir until a thick batter forms.
04 - Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Score the surface into 12 equal squares or diamond shapes, placing an almond in the center of each section.
05 - Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top turns golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
06 - While the cake bakes, combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until syrup thickens slightly. Remove from heat, stir in rose or orange blossom water if using, and allow to cool.
07 - Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot basbousa.
08 - Allow the basbousa to cool completely before re-cutting along the scored lines and serving.

# Expert Pointers:

01 -
  • It feels like a celebration in every bite, yet comes together faster than you'd expect.
  • The texture is impossibly moist, and that almond on top gives you something to anticipate in each square.
  • It pairs perfectly with tea or coffee, making it the kind of dessert that invites people to linger at your table.
02 -
  • The syrup must be cool when poured over hot cake—this creates the perfect texture; hot syrup on hot cake makes it mushy.
  • Scoring before baking is essential; trying to cut after baking risks crumbling the edges.
  • Don't skip the lemon juice in the syrup; it prevents the dessert from becoming overwhelmingly sweet.
03 -
  • Measure your ingredients by weight if you can; it removes guesswork and gives you consistent, moist results every time.
  • If you don't have rose water, orange blossom water, or neither, the recipe is still wonderful with just the lemon juice in the syrup.
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