Vegan Semolina Cake with Lemon Syrup (Basbousa)
This vegan semolina cake is moist, lemony, and syrupy, just the way it should be!
I’ve always loved the idea of combining sweets with syrup. This is why I love Middle-Eastern desserts so much. Yes, they are sweet, but you only need a little slice to satisfy.
Most of them are made with nuts with a base ingredient of pastry, semolina, or polenta. They are denser but have a lightness about them with the addition of flavours like rose or orange.
I speak from my own experience, not about the cuisine in general. One of my all-time favourite desserts is baklava, a dessert I’ve been eating since I was little.
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A vegan semolina cake that isn’t too sweet, just right
I have been experimenting with my version of a cake that is light but also incorporates a syrup. I wanted to create something that wasn’t as heavy or sweet. Admittedly, I hadn’t worked with semolina too much before, so I wanted to challenge myself, and I found that it works well in cakes and slices.
I can’t wait to explore this ingredient further in future recipes.
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The trick is to use the fine semolina that acts as a flour base. It’s denser than flour but gives it a beautiful texture. Combining that with the desiccated coconut and the light lemon sugar syrup, brings everything together really nicely.
It’s light, yet dense, making it pretty irresistible. I can eat many pieces in one sitting without batting an eyelid! Bad, I know. The syrup soaks up well and contains itself within the cake, so you shouldn’t experience any dripping—if left to cool.
I think that it tastes even better the next day after being left in the fridge overnight. It has a slight custard cake-like consistency and texture.
If you don’t generally like citrus-based desserts don’t worry, the lemon compliments it. There is no overpowering flavour, so you can still enjoy it. The walnut adds that little extra crunch on top to break the softness of the rest of the cake. I hope you enjoy this simple recipe. I enjoyed creating it!
Where do you buy semolina?
Semolina is quite accessible. You’ll find semolina at health food stores as well as your local supermarket. I buy mine from a bulk foods store to reduce waste.
If you have no luck buying it in-store, Amazon has plenty of options. I like this one in particular.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Vegan Lumberjack Cake (Gluten-Free)
- Vegan Persian Love Cake (Almond, Orange, Cardamom & Rose Cake)
- Easy Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Banana Cake with a Chocolate Ganache
- Vegan Chocolate and Pear Loaf Cake
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Vegan Semolina Cake with Lemon Syrup (Basbousa)
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cool Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: Makes 20 slices
Description
This vegan semolina cake is moist, lemony and syrupy, just the way it should be! It’s dense and not too sweet making it easy to keep on eating.
Ingredients
Lemon sugar syrup:
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
Semolina cake:
- 2 cups fine semolina
- ½ cup vegan butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut
- Zest of one lemon
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup plant milk (I used organic soy milk)
- 1 cup plain coconut yoghurt
- 20 half walnut pieces
Instructions
- To make the syrup: Add the sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, and 1½ cups / 375ml water to a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, giving the pan an occasional stir making sure that the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Turn heat down and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Take off heat and set it aside to cool.
- To make the cake: Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celcius (375 degrees Fahrenheit). Line a 24cm x 24cm (9.45 inch x 9.45 inch) baking pan with parchment paper. Or a dish that is similar in size. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add in the semolina and butter. Using your fingers, rub in the butter until you get a crumb-like consistency.
- Add the baking powder, bicarb soda, sugar, coconut, and lemon zest mixing well until combined.
- Now stir in the lemon juice, milk, and coconut yoghurt. It will make a nice light consistency.
- Transfer the batter to the baking pan and spread it out evenly. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Score the batter into 1-inch (2½ cm) squares with a sharp knife. Every few cuts, dip the knife in hot water and dry it off before continuing to score the batter. It should make around 20 squares if you’re using the same size dish as me.
- Place 1 walnut in the centre of each square and press down slightly.
- Bake until the top is golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Check by sticking a skewer or knife in the centre. It should come out clean. If it’s still wet, bake a little longer.
- Once it’s out of the oven, cut the cake along the lines you scored. Slowly pour the cooled syrup onto the hot cake.
- Let the cake sit at room temperature for 2 hours to cool and absorb the syrup before serving.
- Diet: Vegan
