Levantine cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Nammoura

Moist semolina cake with shredded coconut, cut into diamonds, topped with almonds, and soaked in syrup.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 400 g semolina
• 100 g shredded coconut
• 200 g yogurt
• 150 g sugar
• 120 g butter
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 40 g almonds
• 400 g sugar for the syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp orange blossom water

Instructions

1. For the syrup, bring 400 g sugar with 250 ml water and the lemon juice to a boil and simmer uncovered for 10 min. until lightly thickened, stir in the orange blossom water, and let cool completely.
2. Mix the semolina, shredded coconut, 150 g sugar, and baking powder, stir in the yogurt and melted butter, and let the mixture swell for 20 min. until the semolina has absorbed the liquid.
3. Thinly coat a pan of about 30 × 20 cm with the tahini – this stops sticking and gives the base its typical nutty note.
4. Fill in the mixture about 2 cm deep, smooth with wet hands, score into diamonds with a knife before baking, then press an almond into each diamond.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C top/bottom heat for 35–40 min., until the surface is evenly golden brown and the cake pulls away from the edge.
6. Pour the cold syrup over the hot cake immediately, let it soak for 2 hours until fully absorbed, and cut along the scored lines into diamonds.