Recipe
🍰 DESSERT
Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup)
A tender semolina cake enriched with yogurt and coconut, soaked in lemon syrup, a much-loved Sudanese sweet.
Sudanese · easy · serves 8
prep 15 min · cook 40 min
~647 cal · 6g protein · 114g carbs · 20g fat · 3g fiber · 83g sugars · 14g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Basbousa is the syrup-soaked cake that Sudanese homes reach for at Ramadan, at celebrations, and whenever strong coffee needs company. The batter is little more than coarse , yogurt, sugar and , sometimes enriched with coconut, baked until golden and then drenched while still warm in a lemon-scented sugar syrup that soaks right through.
The sweet belongs to a wide family that runs across the Arab world under many names, but Sudan has made its own version a genuine household favourite, cut into diamonds and served on trays for guests. The trick every Sudanese baker knows is the temperature contrast: cool syrup poured over hot cake, or hot syrup over cool, so the cake drinks it in without going soggy.
Dense, moist and fragrant, basbousa is offered with coffee or sweet milky tea. It keeps for days, its texture only improving as the syrup settles, which is part of why it is such a dependable thing to have in the house.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian and egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
2 cups coarse
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup melted
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup coconut
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar, for the syrup
1 cup water, for the syrup
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp rose water
Instructions
1
First make the syrup: simmer the 1 1/2 cups sugar with the water and lemon juice for about 8 minutes until lightly syrupy, stir in the rose water, and set aside to cool.
✎ Chef’s note
Getting the syrup made and cooled first matters. The soak works best when hot cake meets cool syrup, so the cake drinks it in rather than turning gluey.
2
Mix the semolina, the 3/4 cup sugar, coconut and baking powder, then stir in the yogurt and melted ghee to a thick batter and let it rest 10 minutes to swell.
3
Spread into a greased square pan, smooth the top, and score it into diamonds with a knife.
4
Bake at 350F (175C) for about 35 minutes until set and golden brown on top.
5
Pour the cooled syrup evenly over the hot cake, letting it soak in along the scored lines, then leave to stand at least an hour before cutting through and serving.
Khartoum home baking.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Khartoum. The general word for these stews is mullah, and the dried okra version is seasoned with ni'aimiya. Sorghum does the other half of the work: fermented and spread thin on a hot plate it becomes kisra, and cooked stiff it becomes asida, a plain pudding that the stew gets poured over.
🗺️
Sudan. Sudanese cooking bridges Arab and African worlds, built on sorghum, ful medames, and stews thickened with peanut or dried okra (weika). Flatbreads like kisra and gurasa scoop up richly spiced sauces.
🌍
Africa. The structure repeats across most of the continent: one starch and one sauce. A grain or root is cooked stiff, torn or rolled by hand, and used to carry a stew of leaves, groundnut, okra or fish, usually from a shared bowl and with the right hand. UNESCO listings have followed that logic, inscribing couscous in 2020 as a shared Maghreb tradition and Ivorian attieke in 2024.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Sudan
Bamia (Sudanese Okra Stew)Tender lamb and okra simmered in a garlicky tomato broth spiced with black lime, Sudan’s everyday comfort, scooped with kisra.
GurasaA thick, soft Sudanese griddle pancake eaten with a stew or with sugar and ghee for breakfast.
ShaiyahStrips of lamb quickly fried with onion, peppers, and spices, a popular Sudanese meat dish for gatherings.
Browse all Sudan recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Oven.
Storing it: Store in an airtight container. Most keep 2 to 3 days at room temperature, and longer refrigerated.
Make it a Sudan meal
Bamia (Sudanese Okra Stew)Dinner
Jabana (Sudanese Spiced Coffee)Drink
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup)?
A tender semolina cake enriched with yogurt and coconut, soaked in lemon syrup, a much-loved Sudanese sweet.
Where does Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup) come from?
Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup) is a Sudanese dish from Khartoum, Sudan.
Can Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Basbousa (Semolina Cake in Syrup) take to make?
About 55 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 8.
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