Stosie Madi's vegan recipe for namoura, or Moorish semolina cake | The new vegan
Namoura, also known as basbousa, is a Moorish semolina cake found in many Arab countries and the Middle East. It has a coarse, sandy and crumbly texture from the semolina and is held together by a fragrant, floral and sticky syrup. It is a favorite sweet and festive snack that is baked at home or bought by the kilo from patisseries; it is also enjoyed during iftar during the months of Ramadan. The garden of my pub, the Parkers Arms, is lined with elderflower trees, and our long-awaited annual harvest makes the best fragrant cordial for icing. The intoxicating scent of the flower is hard to miss, and while store-bought versions make a great substitute, homemade ones are hard to beat, so if you love foraging, try making your own. p>Namoura
It works just as well with mint tea for an afternoon pick-me-up as it does with yogurt or ice cream for pudding.
Preparation 10 min Chill 3 h + Cook 1 h Makes 10 to 12 squares
For the glaze175 ml elderflower cordial (homemade or store-bought)The zest and juice of 2 large lemonsFor the cake2 tbsp tahini paste 250g coarse semolina 50g ground almonds 125g caster sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 75ml rapeseed oil 75ml coconut cream - Biona makes a good 25ml vegan milk - I use Alpro's sugar free almond milk Whole blanched peeled almonds, to garnish
Place the elderflower syrup in a small saucepan, set over medium heat just to warm through, then remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and allow to cool. Meanwhile, grease a shallow (2½cm) 20cm x 30cm cake tin with the tahini paste.
Add the semolina, ground almonds, sugar , baking powder, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl and stir to combine. Whisk in the oil, cream and milk until well incorporated, then pour into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread the batter evenly.
With a small, sharp knife (a non-serrated one is best here), cut the top of the pastry into 4cm squares, then place a whole almond in the center of each. Refrigerate for at least three hours, and ideally overnight.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/Gas 4, then bake the cake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven, pour the cooled elderflower and lemon syrup over it, so that it covers the entire top of the cake, then let it soak and the cake cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with yogurt or ice cream; it will keep for up to a week in a cake tin.
Namoura, also known as basbousa, is a Moorish semolina cake found in many Arab countries and the Middle East. It has a coarse, sandy and crumbly texture from the semolina and is held together by a fragrant, floral and sticky syrup. It is a favorite sweet and festive snack that is baked at home or bought by the kilo from patisseries; it is also enjoyed during iftar during the months of Ramadan. The garden of my pub, the Parkers Arms, is lined with elderflower trees, and our long-awaited annual harvest makes the best fragrant cordial for icing. The intoxicating scent of the flower is hard to miss, and while store-bought versions make a great substitute, homemade ones are hard to beat, so if you love foraging, try making your own. p>Namoura
It works just as well with mint tea for an afternoon pick-me-up as it does with yogurt or ice cream for pudding.
Preparation 10 min Chill 3 h + Cook 1 h Makes 10 to 12 squares
For the glaze175 ml elderflower cordial (homemade or store-bought)The zest and juice of 2 large lemonsFor the cake2 tbsp tahini paste 250g coarse semolina 50g ground almonds 125g caster sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 75ml rapeseed oil 75ml coconut cream - Biona makes a good 25ml vegan milk - I use Alpro's sugar free almond milk Whole blanched peeled almonds, to garnish
Place the elderflower syrup in a small saucepan, set over medium heat just to warm through, then remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and allow to cool. Meanwhile, grease a shallow (2½cm) 20cm x 30cm cake tin with the tahini paste.
Add the semolina, ground almonds, sugar , baking powder, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl and stir to combine. Whisk in the oil, cream and milk until well incorporated, then pour into the prepared pan and use a spatula to spread the batter evenly.
With a small, sharp knife (a non-serrated one is best here), cut the top of the pastry into 4cm squares, then place a whole almond in the center of each. Refrigerate for at least three hours, and ideally overnight.
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/Gas 4, then bake the cake for 30-40 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven, pour the cooled elderflower and lemon syrup over it, so that it covers the entire top of the cake, then let it soak and the cake cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with yogurt or ice cream; it will keep for up to a week in a cake tin.
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