Babousa is a traditional sweet syrup-soaked semolina cake popular throughout the Middle East. Some believe the name is derived from a colloquial Arabic expression meaning "just a kiss".
Brian Platts, our Come Dine With Us group leader, notes that — fearing it might be the "kiss of death" in his pre-diabetic state — he reduced the sugar in the syrup slightly, but the original quantities are given below if you prefer.
Ingredients
- 350 g fine semolina
- 150 g caster sugar
- 115 g butter
- 175 g natural yoghurt
- 2 medium eggs
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp rosewater
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 70 g whole almonds or 50 g flaked almonds
For the Syrup
- 400 g sugar
- 375 ml water
- Juice of half a lemon
- 2 tbsp rosewater
Method
- Beat butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add vanilla essence and 1 tsp rosewater. Add eggs one by one and beat well.
- Sift semolina, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and mix well.
- Fold the butter mixture and yoghurt alternately into the dry ingredients until you have a smooth batter.
- Grease an ovenproof dish or cake tin (about 20 cm) and pour in the batter. Decorate with the almonds. Bake at 180°C for approximately 30 minutes.
- To make the syrup, heat the water in a pan, add the sugar and dissolve. Add the lemon juice and rosewater, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and leave to cool.
- When the cake is baked through, spoon the syrup evenly over it. Leave to cool, then cut into diamonds, squares or slices.
Enjoy!