Café Izz' Basbousa (Middle Eastern Semolina Cake)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Brush the base and sides of a 23cm x 33cm baking tin with tahini (or grease with butter if you don’t have tahini).

3. Put the sugar, oil, yogurt and eggs in a large bowl with the orange blossom water, rosewater or vanilla and whisk to combine.

4. Add the semolina, baking powder, baking soda and a small pinch of salt and whisk again. Finally, add the coconut. I like to use my hands to mix in the coconut to make sure it’s really well combined.

5. Transfer to the prepared tin, then tap the tin on the counter a few times to make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Let it sit for 15 minutes to allow the semolina to absorb the moisture, which will help to firm up the cake.

6. Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the top of the batter into 15 diamond or square shapes.

7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the cake has risen and turned golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

8. Meanwhile, to make the syrup, put the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil and add the lemon juice. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rosewater or orange blossom water (if using). Set aside and keep warm – you don’t want it to thicken as it cools.

9. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, cut it all the way through along the score lines, then pour the syrup all over the top. Let it sit for 30 minutes to soak up the syrup.

10. It’s traditional to put a whole almond in the middle of each portion of cake, but in the café, we omit this and instead decorate each slice with desiccated coconut, dried rose petals, flaked almonds and finely chopped pistachios.