Name: Basbousa
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Sudan, North Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups fine semolina; 1 cup sugar; 1 cup yoghurt, plain, full-fat; ½ cup melted butter; 1 tsp baking powder; ½ cup desiccated coconut; 12 whole blanched almonds, for topping; 1½ cups sugar; 1 cup water; 1 tbsp rose water; 1 squeeze lemon juice

Basbousa

Sudanese-style basbousa, a syrup-soaked semolina cake with yoghurt, butter, almonds, coconut, and rose water.

Country

Sudan

Region

North Africa

Time

85 min

Serves

Level

easy

What to know before you cook

The syrup has to meet the cake at the right moment. Cold syrup over hot basbousa gives a tender, sweet crumb without making it soggy.

What the dish tastes like

Sudanese-style basbousa, a syrup-soaked semolina cake with yoghurt, butter, almonds, coconut, and rose water.

When to cook it

Best for Eid, weddings, celebrations, with a easy cooking level and about 85 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Tea, coffee, fresh fruit, or extra syrup

Follow the collection

Basbousa appears in 2 AfroKitchen collections. Start with Vegetarian Africa if you want more dishes in the same mood. Vegetarian Africa

Regional lane

Sudan national table. A verified Sudan dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Make the syrup

Combine 1.5 cups sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, add lemon juice, and simmer for 8 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir in rose water and set aside to cool completely.

The syrup MUST be cold when poured on the hot cake — this is the secret to proper absorption.

Syrup 08:00

Mix the batter

Combine the semolina, 1 cup sugar, yoghurt, melted butter, baking powder, and coconut. Mix well and let rest for 30 minutes so the semolina absorbs the moisture.

Resting is essential — it softens the semolina for a smoother cake.

Rest batter 30:00

Bake

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Spread the batter evenly in a greased 23×33cm baking dish. Score into diamond shapes and press an almond into each piece. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.

Score before baking so the syrup penetrates deeply into each piece.

Bake 30:00

Soak with syrup

Remove the hot cake from the oven and immediately pour the cold syrup evenly over the entire surface. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes to absorb.

You will hear the satisfying sizzle when the cold syrup hits the hot cake.

Absorb syrup 30:00

Serve

Re-cut along the scored lines and serve at room temperature. Basbousa keeps well covered at room temperature for 2-3 days.

In Sudan, basbousa is always served with strong coffee or sweet tea with milk.

Basbousa

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Basbousa

Step-by-step method

Basbousa

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Basbousa

Step-by-step method

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