Sfouf (Lebanese Turmeric Semolina Cake)

About This Recipe

Sfouf is a traditional Lebanese cake made from semolina and flour, colored a vivid yellow with turmeric and scented with anise and often orange blossom water, baked until light and slightly springy with a fine, sandy crumb. It occupies a flexible role in Lebanese food culture, eaten as a breakfast item with coffee, a sweet snack, or a treat during religious fasting periods since it contains no eggs or dairy in many traditional recipes. The technique that matters is achieving the right crumb texture: semolina and flour are combined with baking powder for lift, and the batter should be mixed just until smooth, not overworked, then baked at a moderate temperature until it springs back to the touch but stays moist rather than dry. Turmeric provides both color and a subtle earthy flavor, while ground anise seeds add sfouf's distinctive licorice-like fragrance that's immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with Lebanese baking. Served cut into diamond shapes, each piece often topped with a single almond or pine nut pressed into the center before baking, sfouf is simple, dairy-optional Lebanese home baking that's been a fixture of the country's breakfast and snack tables for generations.

Ingredients

Serves 8

• 1.5 cupsfine semolina
• 1 cupall-purpose flour
• 1 cupsugar
• 2 tbspground turmeric
• 1 tbspground anise seeds
• 1 tbspbaking powder
• 0.25 tspsalt
• 1 cupneutral oil
• 1 cupwater or milk
• 1 tsporange blossom water(optional)
• 0.33 cupblanched almonds or pine nuts(for topping)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix dry ingredients

   Whisk semolina, flour, sugar, turmeric, anise, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.

2. 2

   Add wet ingredients

   Stir in oil, water or milk, and orange blossom water if using, mixing just until smooth.

3. 3

   Pour into pan

   Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a baking pan and pour in the batter, spreading evenly.

4. 4

   Add nuts

   Score the batter into diamond shapes with a knife, then press an almond or pine nut into the center of each diamond.

5. 5

   Bake

   Bake 25-30 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, with the top springing back when lightly pressed.

6. 6

   Cool and serve

   Let cool completely in the pan, then cut along the scored lines and serve at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Use tahini instead of some of the oil for a nuttier, more traditional flavor in some family recipes.

• •

  Add shredded coconut to the batter for extra texture, a common variation.

• •

  Make individual small cakes in a muffin tin instead of one large pan for portion control.

Storage

Store covered at room temperature up to 5 days; sfouf keeps well and doesn't dry out quickly thanks to its oil-based batter.

Frequently Asked Questions