Egyptian Basboosa (Semolina Cake)

Ingredients:

For the Syrup:
400g sugar
500ml water
juice and freshly-pared zest of 1 lemon
3 tsp honey

For the Cake:
420g semolina
140g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
200g sugar
240ml oil
240ml milk

Method:

Begin with the syrup. Pare the lemon with a potato peeler then extract the juice. Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan and heat gently until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the strips of lemon peel. Continue cooking until the mixture is of a syrupy consistency and the lemon zest is hard. Stir-in the honey at this point and take the syrup off the heat to cool.

Now combine the semolina, flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl. Stir to mix well then add the oil and stir until you have a smooth batter. Meanwhile, grease a large baking sheet (about 25 x 40cm) and pre-heat your oven to 180°C. When you are ready to bake add the milk to the batter and stir to combine. Drop the resultant batter by the tablespoon onto the greased pan then level the top with the palm of a moistened hand.

Place the cake in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove at this point and, using a sharp knife, cut into squares. Return the cake to the oven and bake for about 8 minutes more. Remove from the oven and pour the syrup over the top. Set aside to cook then remove from the tin and serve.