Haresa | Basbousa | Healthier no-egg middle eastern coconut and semolina cake | Kukskitchen

Haresa / Basbousa (coconut semolina cake) is a middle eastern delicacy. It is a cake that is healthier quite flavoursome and very light on the tumm.  No eggs are used and a fraction of the usual amount of butter is used to prepare it. It is perfect if you are looking for a delicious dinner party dessert which your guests would luv but which would not travel up their hips straight. :)

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Haressa / Basbousa / Coconut Semolina Cake

Makes : 10 inch cake

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Source:

Ingredients:

Scented Sugar Syrup (Tahini)
Sugar - 200g
Water - 120ml
Fresh lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp
Rose water - 1/2 tbsp

Semolina Coconut Cake
Fine semolina flour - 300g
Baking powder - 2tsp
Sugar - 100g
Unsalted butter - 115g, room temperature
Milk - 360ml
Desiccated coconut - 75g
Almonds - 3 tbsp

Method:

To make the Syrup

• Add the sugar, water and lemon juice to a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, giving the pan an occasional swirl and skimming off any foam on the surface.
• Turn heat down to simmer and boil up to 5 minutes (if you want thick syrup), swirling the pan occasionally. (The syrup will thicken upon cooling too.)
• Turn off heat and stir in the rose water and keep aside to cool.

To make the cake

• Preheat oven to 190 degree celsius. 
• Brush a 10 inch baking pan with tahini
• Blanch almonds by pouring hot boiling water over them before peeling their skin off.
• Whisk (1) in a large bowl. Stir in the butter and then the milk until combined, and then fold in the coconut.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, tap the pan on the work top to get an even top surface; let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Score the batter into diamond shapes with a sharp knife, dipping the knife in hot water and drying it off before continuing to score the batter 
• Place 1 almond at the center of each diamond.
• Bake for 30 minutes until the sides and top are golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Take the cake out of the oven and cut along the lines you scored before. 
• Now pour the cooled syrup onto the hot cake. Let the cake sit at room temperature for bout 2 hours to let it absorb all that syrup before serving.

Adapted from:  An Edible Mosaic



Also check out - Thalassery Beef Biriyani - Click on the picture for recipe.

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Cheers
Sherin