Basbousa (Syrup-Soaked Semolina Cake)

Anybody else find themselves constantly reaching for semolina flour lately? I grab the bag of golden-hued coarse durum flour whenever I makefresh pasta, or this cheesyRoman-style gnocchi. It's beginning to feel like a pantry staple akin to all-purpose flour, a flour I seek out for many meals, including for — or should I sayespeciallyfor — dessert.

The semolina dessert that most excites me isBasbousa. I've kept this Middle Eastern cake (which also goes by the names haresa and namoura) in heavy rotation for years because it's so easy, so delicious, and fits into any situation (read: I eat it for breakfast as well as dessert). There's no time when basbousa is a bad idea, and it's particularly well-loved around this time of year, during the month of Ramadan.

The appeal of the cake has a lot to do with the texture. Like baklava, basbousa is scored before baking, and when it comes out of the oven a warm syrup (this one flavored with lemon juice) is poured over it slowly, until the syrup is fully absorbed. This step makes the cake deliciously sticky and keeps it moist and tender for several days. I'll eat it with tea every day of the week, and when the cake is gone, I'll simply make another one. I just make sure to keep a bag of semolina flour handy so I never have to be without.