Farida Abdel Malek 
Basbousa will never leave our side, especially in Ramadan. Its presence is essential and it brings so many people a lot of joy. And thanks to recipe innovators like Cleobuttera and many more amazing food bloggers and chefs, we'll never get bored of enjoying a classic dessert like Basbousa because of the many creative ways you can go with it. We picked some of our favorites and here are 7 different Basbousa recipes.
If you're looking for how to make a classic plain Basbousa at home, here's the recipe.
7 different ways to make Basbousa:
1. Chocolate Basbousa with Nutella
Image & Recipe Credits: Sorted Food Community
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Yogurt
- 3/4 cup Vegetable oil
- 1.75 cup Semolina
- 3/5 cup dried unsweetened coconut
- Sprinkle of Salt
- 1/2 cup Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Baking powder
- 3 Eggs
- Vanilla
- 3 Tbsp powdered Milk
- Nutella
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 180 celsius and grease your pan.
2. Add all your ingredients in a big bowl and mix really well until its all combined.
3. Pour in half the mixture into the pan.
4. Place it in the oven for around 10 minutes.
5. Take it out and spread your Nutella, generously of course!
6. Now add the 2nd half of the batter.
7. Put it in the oven again for around 20 minutes.
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2. Toasted Milk Basbousa Recipe
Image & Recipe Credits: Cleobuttera
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups powdered milk (divided)
- 1 cup semolina 3/4 cup melted ghee (or you can use oil)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 can cream/Qashta
- 1/2 cup condensed milk (sweetened)
- 3 Tbsp milk (and another 3 more Tbsp for the top batter)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 3/4 cup of condensed milk
- 1/2 cup toasted milk powder
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a baking pan.
2. Mix 1 cup powdered milk, semolina, melted ghee, sugar, cream/Qashta, sweetened condensed milk, 3 Tbsp milk, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
3. Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
5. While baking, prepare milk topping by combining whole milk, whipping cream, sugar, cornstarch, and condensed milk in a saucepan. Cook until thickened.
6. Remove from heat, stir in toasted milk powder, and pour the topping over the hot cake.
7. Allow basbousa to absorb the topping and cool before cutting into squares or diamond shapes.
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3. The Classic Basbousa with Yogurt Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups semolina flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 Tbsp white honey
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 cup plain yogurt
Steps:
1. In a bowl, gently mix the semolina and the melted butter all together with your fingertips without turning it into a dough.
2. Then add the sugar, the honey, the yogurt and the baking powder, and mix them all together.
3. Spread butter on an oven pan, and then pour the mix in this pan.
4. Set the oven to 200 degrees, and put the basbousa mix in for 30 minutes.
5. When you see its color turning to gold, you know it’s ready to come out.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the basbousa syrup, here’s how: Boil the water and sugar, and then add the lemon juice and leave it boil for one more minute.
7. Finally add the butter to the syrup right before you pour it on the basbousa.
8. You can garnish the basbousa with your favorite nuts and extra syrup.
4. Basbousa with Qashta Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup semolina
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 180 g Qashta or cream
- 3 Tbsp grated coconut
- Pistachios or nuts for garnish
Steps:
1. Start by preheating your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. In a deep bowl mix the oil, semolina, milk, sugar, baking powder, vanilla and coconut until the dough is completely homogeneous.
3. Grease a tray with a little butter and flour and then add half the dough and flatten the surface.
4. Now, add a layer of the Qashta as a filling before adding the rest of the dough on top.
5. Garnish the surface with nuts.
6. Put the tray in the oven and leave it until it's tender and golden-brown (around 35 minutes).
7. Once you take it out of the oven, pour on the syrup, it should be hot and boiled. Leave it to let the syrup be absorbed for a while before serving.
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5. Basbousa Cups Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 cup soft semolina
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup coconut shavings
- 2 Tbsp powder milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 pack of Qashta or thick cream
- 1/2 cup oil
- Pinch of vanilla
- Loose liquid tahini
- Chocolate
- Lotus spread
Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Combine soft semolina, sugar, coconut shavings, powder milk, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
3. Add eggs, Qashta or thick cream, oil, and vanilla to dry ingredients; mix for a smooth batter.
4. Grease muffin cups with loose liquid tahini to prevent sticking.
5. Spoon basbousa batter into muffin cups, filling about two-thirds full.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown; check with a toothpick for doneness.
7. Allow basbousa cups to cool in the muffin tin briefly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Melt chocolate or Lotus spread for toppings.
9. Once cooled, drizzle melted chocolate or Lotus spread over basbousa cups for flavor and decoration.
6. Orange Blossom Flavored Basbousa Recipe
Image Credits: The Gingered Whisk
Ingredients:
- All the same ingredients for the plain Basbousa
- 2 tsp orange blossom water
Steps:
1. Same as before.
2. Just add the orange blossom water to your simple syrup.
You can find the simple syrup recipe right here.
7. Lotus Basbousa Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup yogurt
- 1 cup semolina
- 1 cup crushed lotus biscuits
Pudding Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups cold milk
- 2 Tbsp corn flour
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup of crushed lotus biscuits
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Prepare Basbousa Batter; beat eggs, add sugar, oil, vanilla, yogurt, semolina, and crushed Lotus biscuits in a mixing bowl; mix well.
- Prepare Pudding Mixture. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, cold milk, corn flour, flour, and sugar; stir until smooth.
- Combine Batter and Pudding Mixture: Gradually add the pudding mixture to the basbousa batter, ensuring a uniform consistency.
- Grease a baking dish with oil or butter to prevent sticking.
- Pour the combined batter and pudding mixture into the greased baking dish, spreading it evenly.
- Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- After baking, sprinkle crushed Lotus biscuits on top and allow it to cool before slicing.
