This basbousa cake will make you look like a good cook

The idea of baking evokes dread in many: too many measurements, large potential for error. But while a little patience is required, baking can actually be both simple and fun. Concocting something with your own hands and leaving it in an oven to find it transformed is a singularly satisfying experience. That being said, I share this recipe as a starting point, because it’s actually difficult to ruin, making it a super simple way to begin experimenting with desserts. 

I adapted this from a Sami Tamimi recipe that was originally for a dense cake loaf, swapping out the loaf tins to make it a low, crispy cake that is reliably delicious every time. That it’s a sticky basbousa cake means it’s also perfect to take to Ramadan gatherings where you can avail everyone of your new baking skills.

**Heads-up: to make this cake you will need a scale, measuring cups, baking paper and a 27 cm spring-form cake tin, which is a type of cake pan with detachable sides. They are easy to find and helpful to the baking process, as they simplify removing the cake from the tin after cooking. 

Cooking time
45 minutes plus resting time

Cake
250ml orange juice
180ml sunflower oil
160g orange jam
4 medium-sized baladi eggs
70g sugar
40g desiccated coconut
180g semolina
90g plain flour
2 tablespoons of almonds crushed
2 teaspoons baking powder
Butter for greasing 

Syrup
200g sugar
140ml water

Grate the zest from one of the oranges into a bowl. Then juice the rest until you have enough liquid for the recipe. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees. Add the oil, jam and eggs to the same bowl as the zest and whisk until the jam has dissolved. Crush the almonds (with a pestle and mortar or the back of a rolling pin) and place in a separate bowl. Using a scale to measure, sift the sugar into the same bowl as the almonds and add the rest of the dry ingredients — the coconut, flour, semolina, and baking powder. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients until combined. The mixture should be runny in consistency. 

Line a 27cm springform tin with baking paper. To do this, place the round base of the tin onto baking paper and draw a circle around it. Cut out the circle with scissors (nail scissors are the best for this). Rub a little butter onto the metal circle and stick the baking paper on top of it so it fits snugly. Cut a long strip of paper and line the sides of the tin in the same way. 

Pour the mix into the tin and bake for 25–30 minutes depending on the heat of your oven. You will notice that the sides start to go golden, which indicates it’s ready. Towards the end of baking, put the water and sugar in a pan, stirring as you bring to boil. Once it has boiled, turn off the heat.

When you take the cake out of the oven, immediately start drizzling the sugar syrup over it, but don’t drown the cake in liquid. Rather,do it in rounds, brushing the cake with a spatula so the liquid is absorbed gradually and repeat. It will take two or three times to finish all the syrup. Let it sit at room temperature for around an hour or so until the cake has cooled completely, then carefully remove it from the tin. Use a knife dipped in boiling water to cut the cake into smooth slices.

Important secrets to make this work

Oranges: You need very ripe, juicy citrus for this. To select, smell the oranges: you want them to be fragrant as this is what is going to make your cake flavorsome. You also want to inspect them to make sure that while they are ripe they aren’t coated in a fine dust (which happens when they are starting to mold). And don’t wash your citrus in vinegar, instead use water and dry thoroughly. Always store bought citrus on a plate at room temperature.

Eggs: Try to buy baladi eggs when baking as they make for much nicer cakes and are much better for you than industrially produced eggs.