Egyptian Basbousa Cake

Learn how to make a classic Egyptian semolina cake and enjoy it with almonds and syrup.

Basbousa – A Baked Egyptian Sweet Semolina Cake

I say it’s high time I bake something sweet for the Around the World in Twelve Plates blogger collaboration. Basbousa is an Egyptian classic cake made from durum semolina and a whole lot of dairy which is also popular in many other Middle Eastern countries.  The cake is quite rich with a unique texture but it’s the syrup that provides all the flavour!

Our Trip to Egypt

What is unique about this month’s ATW12P country is that I have actually been to Egypt. Shaun had a work trip to Egypt scheduled in January 2008 and I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tag along. The company he was working for scheduled private tours for me in Alexandria and I was under the close supervision of several female tour guides. Alexandria is much smaller than Cairo. When I say ‘much smaller’ I am talking in terms of millions of people. Alexandria’s 2008 population wasa just over 4 million while Cairo at that time was around 18 million.

Though Alexandria is a popular resort destination for Egyptians, I visited during the ‘off season’ when temperatures were quite a bit cooler (18-20° C). Traffic wasn’t a horrendous nightmare (though really it was pretty much a nightmare anyway compared to where I live!). I was glad we had our own driver even though we found out later he was legally blind. The drive from Cairo to Alexandria is around 3 hours on one of the world’s deadliest highways. We made it there and back safely so I guess he wasn’t so bad after all.

Montaza Palace, the Mediterranean, and surrounding gardens

So Many Beautiful Sights to Capture

I really regret that this trip happened before I started my blog. Looking back at the photos, my skills probably matched the equivalent quality of my camera gear. We stayed in what was the most gorgeous hotel surrounded by the Montaza Palace grounds right on the Mediterranean. Unfortunately my photos are all quite grey, lackluster, and blurry.

I visited  the modern Alexandria Library which is a much more modern version of the famous antiquities library that was burned down by Julius Caesar. Also on the tour were the  Citadel of Qaitbay (a 15th-century defensive fortress established in 1477 AD by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa’it Bay), the catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa (a necropolis which consists of a series of Alexandrian tombs, statues and archaeological objects of the Pharaonic funeral cult mixed with Greek and early Imperial Roman influences) as well as the Graeco-Roman Museum, the Alexandria National Museum, and the ruins of a Roman Auditorium and Bathhouse.

The Citadel of Qaitbay and a Roman Auditorium

Egyptian Trip Highlights

But the REAL highlights of this trip were:

• realizing that young Egyptian lovebirds flock to Montaza Palace grounds to make out in cars at night.
• eating my first BLT made with beef bacon
• crossing the street by myself (think Frogger but deadlier) to shop in the bazaar
• sitting on the breakwater and watching the fishermen catch fish out of skinny dug out canoes
• listening to Shakira on repeat for 3 hours on the way to Alexandria
• paying $3 US for 5 squares of toilet paper at the Pyramids of Giza (and yes, I know that’s 75% more than what I was supposed to give her)
• eating a multi-course dinner in the penthouse piano bar at the Hilton Ramses in Cairo
• chatting about life with my female tour guides. One was single, the other was married…the single lady drew all sorts of attention from the ‘tourist police’ at every stop on the tour
• a two hour camel ride in the desert to find a geocache.
• my hubby’s face after a two hour camel ride in the desert and bribing the gatekeeper to let us back in to the back area of the Pyramids at Giza.
• a dinner cruise on the Nile River which included belly dancing and Whirling Dervishes
• accidentally handing a bribe to the Egyptian customs officer at the airport

An Unforgettable Adventure

After my husband was finished work in Alexandria we had a day to tour around Cairo. Our day began (as one inevitably does) in Giza to explore the Pyramids and gaze at the Sphinx. We had a chance to enter the Pyramid but I just couldn’t do it. I felt there was an electricity in the air; a strange imbalance or feeling of unrest or sadness. I felt it was just wrong to go in. We did climb up to get our photo taken. Those blocks are a lot larger than I thought they would be!

Me on a camel explaining how I know there’s treasure in the dessert, The Sphinx, Treasure in the dessert! 

Mango Lover for Life

As far as food went, we had some amazing dinners. The ones that are most memorable to me were the ones that began with crates of fresh fishes on ice. We chose our fish and how it was to be cooked (fried, grilled, etc.) then we were seated. While we waited for our fish, we were fed small but delicious dishes to encourage our appetite. We didn’t ever have room for dessert but always finished with a fresh orange or a mango smoothie. Egypt was where I fell in love with mangoes. Until our trip I had only ever experienced mangoes (which I call Canadian mangoes) that are imported halfway around the world. If I would have had room for dessert I would have chosen a slice of Basbousa with extra syrup.

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Are you as excited as I am to see what other ATW12P bloggers are up to for the Egyptian challenge? Please give them a visit and show them some love and appreciation!

Gabby Peyton at The Food Girl in Town

Nicoletta and Loreto at Sugar Love Spices

Check out this other Dish ‘n’ the Kitchen ATW12P Post: Swedish Räksmörgås (Shrimp Sandwich)

Egyptian Semolina Cake – Basbousa

If you make this Egyptian Basbousa Cake recipe, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section or in the ratings. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest for my latest recipes. Also, if you do make this recipe please share your photos and tag me on Instagram. I hope you like this recipe!