Basbousa
Egypt's favourite syrup cake: semolina, yogurt and coconut baked golden, cut into diamonds and soaked with lemony sugar syrup until moist and tender.
Method
Make the syrup first. Put the syrup sugar and water in a small saucepan on medium-high heat and stir until the sugar dissolves and it boils, then lower to medium-low heat and simmer for , until slightly syrupy. Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and let it cool completely. Cool syrup on a hot cake is the rule that keeps it from turning soggy.
Add in this stepSugar (for the syrup) 75 gWater (for the syrup) 60 mlLemon juice 1 tsp
medium-high heat→medium-low heatHeat the oven to 180 °C. Melt the butter in the microwave or a small pan and let it cool a little.
In a bowl, mix the semolina, coconut, sugar and baking powder, pour in the melted butter and rub it in with your fingertips until it looks like wet sand. Add the yogurt and vanilla and stir with a spatula into a thick batter; stop as soon as it is evenly mixed, as overmixing makes it tough. Leave it for so the semolina absorbs the liquid.
Add in this stepSemolina (medium or fine) 85 gDesiccated coconut, unsweetened 12 gSugar (for the batter) 35 gBaking powder ½ tspButter, melted 30 gPlain yogurt 60 gVanilla extract ½ tsp
Brush the base and sides of a 13×13 cm baking dish thinly with tahini. Spread in the batter and press it flat, about 1.5 cm thick, with wet hands or a spoon. Score it into diamonds right down to the base with a knife and press an almond into the centre of each piece.
Add in this stepTahini (for greasing) 1 tspBlanched whole almonds 6
Bake (oven) for , until the top is a deep golden colour and the edges pull slightly away from the dish. If it is still pale, switch on the grill for the last 1 to 2 minutes, watching it closely.
ovenAs soon as it comes out, slowly pour the cool syrup evenly over the hot cake and cut again along the scored lines. Leave it for so the syrup soaks in completely before serving.
Cook's tip
Hot cake, cool syrup: follow that and it always works. Don't overmix the batter or it turns chewy. You can grease with butter instead, but the Egyptian tahini trick gives a nutty, crisp base. Keeps 2 days at room temperature or 4 days in the fridge.
Cooking it at camp
It needs an oven, so bake it at home and bring it in a lidded box. To bake at camp, set the tin on a trivet inside a Dutch oven and put coals on the lid as well as underneath for top and bottom heat. Make the syrup beforehand and carry it in a bottle.