03/08/2024
Almond Basboussa

My version of my Grandmother's recipe is made with almonds and sour cream. This sweet, sticky, nutty Middle Eastern style slice is perfect to serve with a Greek coffee!
Makes:
1 x 18cm x 28cm slab
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw sugar
- 1 cup semolina
- 1 cup ground almonds
- 1 cup light sour cream or natural yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- blanched almonds, for decoration
- 50g butter, melted
Method
- Butter and line an 18cm x 28cm slab tin.
- Mix 1 cup raw sugar with semolina, ground almonds, sour cream and baking powder until moistened throughout, using your hand if needed.
- Spoon into prepared pan and use wetted hands to press and smooth the surface. Mark into a diamond pattern with a knife and place a blanched almond into the centre of each diamond.
- Bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and pour over melted butter.
- Heat remaining sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan until dissolved and boil for 5 minutes until syrupy.
- Cut cake in tin into diamonds, following the marks. Pour hot syrup over hot cake and stand until completely cool and syrup has been absorbed.
- Remove from tin and store in an airtight container.
Tips
- Cake can be made with desiccated coconut or all semolina, instead of ground almonds.
- STYLING Make sure all almonds are pointing in the same direction.
- DRINK Greek coffee or pot of tea
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