Sfouf
Sfouf belongs to a family of semolina cakes found across the eastern Mediterranean, but the turmeric that gives it its color is distinctly Lebanese, chosen at a time when saffron was too costly for home bakers and turmeric offered a similar golden hue at a fraction of the price. Recipes for it appear in Lebanese households going back generations, passed down as one of the simplest cakes a beginner could learn, since it needs no eggs, no creaming of butter, and no precise oven timing to turn out well. It has become closely tied to two very different religious occasions: Lebanese Christians bake it around Easter, while Shia Muslim communities prepare it during Ashura to distribute to neighbors, a custom that has made sfouf one of the few sweets served in both contexts. Bakeries sell it year-round in Beirut regardless, usually cut into diamond-shaped pieces with a single almond or pine nut pressed into each one, a decorative touch that has become as recognizable as the cake's yellow color itself.
Bright yellow from turmeric, not saffron
Sfouf gets its striking golden color from ground turmeric rather than the far pricier saffron, making it an everyday cake instead of a special-occasion one.
Semolina and flour, no eggs
The batter relies on fine semolina and flour bound with oil rather than butter or eggs, giving it a light, slightly crumbly texture that keeps well for days.
Perfumed with anise and mahlab
Ground anise seeds and mahlab (a Lebanese baking spice made from cherry pits) give the cake a fragrance found in few other desserts outside the Levant.
Baked for Easter and Ashura alike
In Lebanon sfouf appears at Christian Easter tables and during the Muslim month of Ashura, making it one of the country's rare desserts shared by both calendars.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 2 cups (320g) fine semolina
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) sugar
- 1 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground anise seeds
- 1/2 tsp ground mahlab (optional)
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk, plus blanched almonds or pine nuts to garnish
How to make it
- 1Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 20x30 cm baking tray.
- 2In a large bowl, whisk together the semolina, flour, sugar, turmeric, baking powder, anise, and mahlab until evenly combined and the mixture turns a uniform yellow.
- 3Make a well in the center and pour in the oil, then whisk until the dry ingredients look like wet, sandy crumbs.
- 4Gradually add the milk while whisking, until you get a smooth, pourable batter with no lumps.
- 5Pour the batter into the prepared tray and smooth the top with a spatula.
- 6Score the surface into diamond shapes with a knife and press a blanched almond or pine nut into the center of each one.
- 7Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden, then let it cool completely before cutting along the scored lines.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
