Eggless Basbousa (Semolina and coconut cake) | by Ankita Agarwal

Basbousa is a Middle Eastern dessert where semolina, coconut, yoghurt and nuts are mixed with butter and baked. The cake is then soaked in flavoured sugar syrup to make a delightful dessert.

Ingredients:

Cake

2 cups semolina

1 cup desiccated coconut

1/2 cup butter/ olive oil/ (half butter and half oil )

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup yoghurt

2-3 tbsp coarsely powdered pistachios

Saffron (optional)

Sugar syrup

2 cups sugar

11/2  cup water

A pinch of cardamom powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

Cake:

• Preheat oven to 375 degree F
• Grease the container with oil/butter.
• Mix semolina, coconut, sugar and butter in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix the butter with other ingredients until mixed well.
• In another bowl, whisk baking powder and yoghurt. Add this into the semolina mixture and continue mixing with your hands until fully combined. Add a few strands of saffron and continue mixing. The batter should be fairly thick and easy to press with hands (not thin like cake batter).
• Pour the batter into the greased container and sprinkle some pistachio powder over it. Bake at 375 F for 40-45 minutes.

Sugar syrup:

• Mix water and sugar in the sauce pan and place the pan on a high flame.
• When sugar dissolves and starts getting thick, add cardamom powder and lemon juice. Turn off the flame.

Cut the cake in pieces of desired shape and pour the sugar syrup over it. Your Basbousa is ready.

Courtesy: http://indiantummy.blogspot.com/