Namoura (Syrup-Soaked Semolina Cake) Recipe (2024)

Yes, you want the coarse variety, similar to cream of wheat.

I've made many times, so I'll share some variations: First, always use Greek yogurt (preferably fa*ge). It's thicker and provides more substance to the cake. Add coconut to the batter -- it's delicious!

I get confused by this sort of use of semolina flour. Does it refer to something as fine as AP flour, or, as I suspect, a little coarser? From my experience with Turkish and Arab pastries here in Central Europe and also online recipes, my first guess would be something I saw in an Indian-run store called fine semolina (finer than cornmeal, coarser than regular flour).

I made this just as written and it was good. But the next day it was actually amazing! I would totally make this again, but plan ahead and give it a full day to sit. I used Bob's Red Mill semolina. I also think using almond extract in the syrup would be great.

Delicious. I have changed one thing though. I coat the pan with tahini instead of butter. it gives it a nutty flavor.

The syrup here will actually be quite thin, more like a simple syrup used for co*cktails rather than pancake syrup. The syrup is meant to be absorbed into the cake, not to coat the top of it.Nonetheless, I find that it takes about five minutes to get to the right consistency. I also prefer to add the flavoring / extract after the syrup is off the heat to preserve its volatile flavor and aroma.

I make a similar version greasing the pan with tahini which adds to the flavor of the cake.

Lovely flavor, nice texture, simple to make. Infused the syrup with culinary dried lavender. Had to simmer much longer than 2 minutes to thicken; more like 15. Thank you for the recipe!

Try using orange blossom water with the syrup instead of rose water. It is so much better!

My niece made something similar, an Egyptian dish named basbousa. Rose water, lime flavors. Perhaps these are similar desserts made from semolina. All over South Asia, semolina halva is very popular. The Burmese similarly have a shwe gye semolina cake made from coconut milk. So many delicious ways to use semolina, yum.

The cook time is off. I checked on it 5 minutes early and was glad I did. Delicious!

Tradition! My grandmother used to also sprinkle ground pistachio's on top along with the almond which was divine and quickly devoured. I'm going to make some with some lavender sugar, what a lovely idea!

The comments were invaluable in noting that 15 minutes are needed to get the water and sugar to syrup. I'll weigh in on the flour, since it's an issue to contributors: We used Bob's Red Mill semolina, which has a coarseness we like here. The result is not too sweet, either. At 1/4 cup of slivered almonds, you'll have a lot more than necessary, unless you put several on each piece.

Made this for my dear Saudi friend and it was absolutely delicious! I made a stronger syrup with 2 teaspoons rose water and 2 of orange blossom water and only 1 1/2 cups sugar. Otherwise followed directions and was delighted by the smooth, flavorful, comforting cake! Great recipe!

I followed the steps using an 8” x 12” baking dish. The one change I will make next time is to cut through the cake along the score lines before pouring on the syrup as I found the center of the cake to be dryer than the edges, which were perfect.

can someone share instructions for making lavender syrup? It sounds lovely.

My grandmother (yiayia) always made something very much like this at Christmas. I can't compare specifics as I haven't been able to pry the recipe from my sister. I guess I'll have to cook this to find out (but I'm gluten sensitive and wife is gluten intolerant; I'm not in any big hurry).I've always considered this cake to be a cousin of melachrino, a Greek spice cake. My yiayia's presentation was very similar to this namoura. As St. George's day is coming up next month I may try one.

Either the cook time is off, or the oven temp is too high. I started to smell the cake around 15 minutes in and I'm glad I checked. The top was very brown. That said, it's quite delicious. Make sure your syrup is cool to cold before pouring over the hot cake. Following a few other comments I subbed the rose water for orange blossom water and it was perfect.

I have made this recipe several times, and it is beyond delicious! I use Sour Cream instead of yogurt. I sprinkle walnuts on top and drizzle a thin layer of honey before covering with the simple sauce. Makes for a little sweeter dessert.

I made this as written, and it was absolutely wonderful. I used rose water, and confess I had my doubts about it when I opened the bottle, the scent is very strong, and rose is not one of my favorite scents. That being said, when I added it and the lemon juice to the syrup it was transformed, subtle and distinctive.My oven runs hot so I baked it for 23 minutes and it came out perfectly golden brown. I made it in the early morning, and it sat all day until I served it after dinner. Perfect cake

I made this exactly as written, it was absolutely divine. I used rose water, when I put it in the simple syrup with the lemon juice, the scent was heavenly. My oven runs hot so I only baked it for 23 minutes and it was nicely golden brown.I plan to make it another time using rosemary and pinon (pine nuts.) Easy and fun to make. Loved watching the reaction chemically between the yogurt and the baking soda. I did not really believe it would double, but it did.

I used orange flour water in the simple syrup and Miyokos vegan butter melted. Greased the pan with tahini as recrecommended by others. 30 minutes baking was a little too long in my oven, slightly beyond 'golden' but the syrup takes care of dryness.

I made this for an Iftar dinner with my Egyptian friends and it was a huge hit! They said it was very similar to basbousa. I made the following adjustments: - I used orange blossom water lemon juice - added about 1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes- lined the pan with tahini (DO THIS. The nutty flavor balances the sweetness so well). - gently re-scored the cake before pouring the syrup to ensure it was absorbed by the middle piecesSuch a beautiful and delicious recipe!

Note to self-Add coconut to the semolina next time. I put rose extract after the simple syrup was done and added some mandarin orange juice to the simple syrup instead of water for the whole thing. coated the pan with almond butter (tahini i had read in another post). Came out divine! I only used 3/4 of the syrup.

Did not have whole milk yogurt on hand so substituted buttermilk. Worked fine but did not have much rise to it. Ended up being 1/2 inch in height fully baked. Also, this is a crazy sweet cake. I think half the amount of syrup would serve just fine. At least try in smaller proportion before going all in with syrup.

I made half a recipe in an 8x8" pan. Baked 20 minutes. I feel it is more like a thick soft cookie than a "cake." Should one prick the cake surface with a toothpick to allow the syrup to soak into the cake?

Love this cake. It seems never to get stale, allowing us to grab small pieces from the pan over a week's time! Using about 2/3 of the syrup on the second try still left plenty of sweetness. Using the entire amount of syrup in the recipe is maybe a little too sweet.

Changes made: reduced sugar in syrup to 300gm (plenty sweet!), used rose water and omitted almonds (nut- allergy). I have never used the baking soda and yoghurt combo for my baking like this recipe does. Fascinating!One friend upon eating it said, "I love it! Like a sweet cornbread." I completely understand and see the resemblance. I love cornbread but hearing that ruined the Namoura for me. I liked it, but not something I would rush to make again.

Very similar to Greek cake revani. The difference is using yoghurt and baking soda, while Greeks use a lot of eggs (whipped with sugar over warm bath for a long time), no soda and no yoghurt.

I made this and added ~40g coconut and a pinch of salt. Used tahini on the bottom like some other people suggested. In my syrup, I used rose water and cardamom. I thought I wouldn’t need the full amount of syrup so I halved it and ended up needing to make the rest. It’s not as syrup-saturated as other namoura that I’ve tasted. Baked at 375 for 25 min. It was perfectly golden but even after waiting for the syrup to soak in for over 2 days, it’s still pretty dry. Maybe the oven temp is too high.