Eggless Turmeric Semolina Cake Sfouf Video Recipe

Eggless Turmeric Semolina Cake Sfouf is a Lebanese Almond Semolina Cake consumed on Birthdays, family reunions kind of special occasions…It is made with Semolina flour , Turmeric / Curcuma, Sugar, With or without Eggs, Baking Powder, Tahini/Sesame Paste, and Aniseed. Sfouf , Lebanese word means

‘Rows” and this cake is beautifully cut into rows before serving. Hope I did justice to the name :-). If you are out of Aniseed do replace with fennel seeds I make with it and it tastes good. This healthy turmeric rava cake is a perfect accompany with Tea or Coffee. I am baking this cake recipe for several years. From the original recipe I tweaked it with pouring sugar syrup over the cake after half time of baking and they give gorgeous color to the cake like we do in Basbousa. The sugar syrup on top of the cake slice gives relish in each bite :-).

It’s optional to add sugar syrup yet it enhances the taste of the cake. Also I reduce the sugar in the cake batter in total to 3/4th cup when i use syrup on top of the cake. I understand this lock down period, so i have provided several variations to ingredients in the Tips and Variations Section at the end of the post do please do read it.

Ingredients for 10 X 10 ” Cake Pan

Aniseed – 1.5 tsp
Semolina / Sooji – 2 Cups
AP Flour / Maida / Wheat Flour – 1 Cup
Turmeric Powder – 2 tsp
Whole Milk – 3/4 Cup (Plus 1/4 cup)
Warm Water – 1.5 Cups plus 1/2 cup Milk to soak Sooji (you can take 1 cup water plus 1 cup milk as well)
Whole Almonds – 25 Numbers
Regular Sugar – 1 Cup (use 1/4 cup with aniseed to grind)
Whole Cardamom – 5- 8 Numbers
Melted Butter – 1/2 Cup (you can reduce to 5 tbsp it works for me)
Flavorless Oil – 1/2 Cup
*Baking Powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp

* I use double acting Baking Powder

For Sugar Syrup

Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp
Sugar – 3/4 Cup (you can reduce 1/4 cup for mild sweetness)
Water – 1/3 Cup

Replacement for Baking Powder

1 tsp Baking powder = 1/4 tsp Baking soda + 1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar OR (1 tsp Vinegar or 1.25 Lemon Juice) So for
2 tsp baking powder = 1/2 tsp Baking Soda + 1 tsp Cream of Tartar OR (2 tsp Vinegar or 2.5 tsp Lemon Juice )
Note 1 Tbsp = 3 tsp

Tahini Paste to Coat the Pan

Sesame Seeds – 1/3 Cup
Oil – 1 Tbsp

Turmeric Semolina Cake Sfouf Preparation

• Do dry roast aniseed and cardamom, once cooled powder with 1/4 cup sugar to fine powder.
• Also make Tahini paste by grinding sesame seeds with oil to smooth paste , coat the baking pan and keep aside.
• If using coarse Semolina do soak with 2 cups of liquid (1.5 cups water = .5 cups milk or 1 cup water + 1 cup milk for 15 minutes).
• Add dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, salt, ground spice mix in a wide mixing bowl.
• Add the soaked coarse semolina or fine semolina as per your choice.
• Melt 1/2 cup butter (8 tbsp) add with 8 tbsp (1/2 cup) flavorless oil.
• Do pour the butter oil mixture to it.
• Clean the semolina soaked bowl with 1/4 cup milk and add to it (as shown in video)
• Mix gently and add remaining 1/2 cup milk (reserve 1/4 cup from the total 1 cup milk to add at last for batter consistency if needed).
• If using fine semolina / sooji the total water and milk combo or just milk should be 2.25 to 2.5 cups which varies by the quality of semolina and do refer the video at 4:52 minutes for right consistency cake batter.
• Drop the prepared cake batter in 10 X 10 inch cake pan or in any square pan as shown below (do read notes section for more options).

• In Preheated oven bake at 375 F / 190 C for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile prepare the sugar syrup is using.
• Boil the sugar, water and turmeric mixture in medium flame for 5-7 minutes until it reaches the consistency shown in video but no need to check any string consistency for this recipe.
• After 20 minutes of baking add the hot or warm syrup over hot 20 minutes baked cake.
• Reduce the temperature to 350 F / 180 C now and bake the cake with syrup for another 15 minutes.
• If not using the syrup then after 375 F bake to 20 mins reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for 15 minutes Or
• Tooth pick inserted comes with little sooji crumble but not wet cake batter.

Video Tutorial

Tips and Variations

1. Instead of Tahini Paste regular butter and flour dusting for the baking pan works.
2. Aniseed can be well replaced with fennel seeds for this recipes.
3. I used the regular atta flour / chapati flour in the video shown, but also i tried this recipe with maida/all purpose flour too.
4. For soaking 1.5 cups water + .5 cups milk works absolutely fine if you like use half water and half milk.
5. Make sure you use warm water not super hot water to soak coarse sooji.
6. I have taken 1 cup sugar to this recipe in the cake batter you can reduce the sweet to 3/4th cup if using sugar syrup.
7. Also you can reduce sugar syrup to 1/2 cup sugar for mild sweetness.
8. But don’t make the syrup watery it will take more bake time to sit over the cake.
9. You can either use 1 cup melted butter or oil or mix of both.
10. I use homegrown and home ground Turmeric Powder (refer picture at the end of the post) which is rich in color so I use only 1.5tsp in the cake batter but considering store bought I have given 2tsp so adjust the quantity accordingly.
11. You can make in Pressure Cooker do refer video HERE to make in stove.
12. If you don’t have Lemon Juice or Vinegar and to bake with Baking soda do replace quarter portion of milk with curd or half portion with Buttermilk while mixing the batter.

Print Version

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