Coconut Almond Flour Cake Recipe (Gluten Free Basbousa Cake)
This moist, sticky sweet almond flour cake recipe is a gluten free version of the Middle Eastern cake Basbousa (which also goes by the names Namoura and Harissa). It's the perfect pairing with a cup of coffee or tea.
Servings 7 servings
Calories 320kcal
Ingredients
Scented Sugar Syrup:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 teaspoon orange blossom water or rose water
Cake:
- 1/2 tablespoon tahini to grease the baking pan
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot starch
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature or slightly melted
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 tablespoon blanched almonds
Instructions
- Prepare the scented sugar syrup. To do so, add the sugar, water, and lemon juice to a medium, thick-bottomed saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat, giving the pan an occasional swirl and skimming off any foam on the surface. Turn the heat down slightly and boil 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the rose water or orange blossom water; let it cool to room temperature while you make the cake.
- For the cake, preheat oven to 375F; brush the tahini on the inside of a 6-inch (15.25 cm) round baking pan.
- Whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot starch, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in the butter and then the milk until combined, and then fold in the coconut.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly; let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Score the batter into 1-inch (2.5 cm) square or diamond shapes with a sharp knife, periodically dipping the knife in hot water and drying it off before continuing to score the batter; place 1 almond in the center of each diamond.
- Bake until the sides and top are golden brown, about 30 minutes. (If the sides are brown but the top isn’t, you can broil the cake for a couple minutes to brown the top.)
- Once out of the oven, cut the cake along the lines you scored. Slowly pour the cooled syrup onto the hot cake. Let the cake sit at room temperature 2 hours to absorb the syrup before serving.
Notes
- Recipe Inspiration: Recipe adapted from the recipe for Coconut Semolina Cake (Harissa) in my cookbook, An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Fare with Extraordinary Flair (Tuttle Publishing; Nov. 2012).
- How to Blanch Almonds: If you can't find blanched almonds, you can easily make them yourself with whole almonds. (1) Place fresh, shelled (raw and unsalted) almonds in a heat-safe bowl; (2) pour in enough boiling water to fully cover the almonds; (3) let the almonds sit for 1 minute, then pour into a mesh sieve, rinse under cold water, and drain; and (4) hold one almond at the wide end between your thumb and forefinger and gently squeeze; the skin should slip right off.
- Flavorings For the Simple Syrup: For the scented sugar syrup, you can use orange blossom water, rose water, vanilla, or any other extract you like.
- Milk Alternatives: For the milk in the cake, I’ve successfully used whole milk, 2%, and plain unsweetened almond “milk”.
- Greasing the Pan:If you don’t have tahini to grease the cake pan, you can use clarified butter or coconut oil instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 320kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 22mg | Potassium: 123mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 242IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 1mg