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Arabian coconut halwa
Coconut semolina cake in lemon syrup
Baked coconut and semolina cake squares soaked in lemon syrup and topped with almonds. Makes 30 pieces
A soft, moist baked sweet in the style of basbousa: desiccated coconut, semolina and flour are mixed with melted butter, milk and vanilla, baked until golden, cut into diamonds and soaked in cold lemon syrup. Each piece is topped with an almond. Sweet, buttery and fragrant with coconut; serve at room temperature with tea or coffee.
- Total time
- 70 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 15
Ingredients
For the halwa
- 7 ½ oz semolina1¼ cups
- ¾ cup milk¾ cup
- 4 oz desiccated coconut1½ cups
- 5 ½ oz plain flour1¼ cups
- 5 ½ oz sugar¾ cup
- 4 oz unsalted butter½ cup, melted, plus a little for the tin
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
For the syrup
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar½ cup
- ¾ cup water⅔ cup
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
To decorate
- 2 ½ oz blanched almonds½ cup, quartered
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What you'll need
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Boil 3 ½ oz caster sugar, ¾ cup water and 1 tbsp lemon juice in a small pan, then simmer for 6–8 minutes until the syrup thickens slightly.
8 minStep 2: Leave the syrup to cool, then chill it.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 350°F. Mix in 4 oz desiccated coconut, 5 ½ oz plain flour, 5 ½ oz sugar, 4 oz unsalted butter, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp vanilla essence to make a thick batter.
Step 5: Grease and flour a 15–18 cm square baking tin and spread the mixture in it evenly.
Step 6: Bake for 35 minutes until golden and firm. Take out of the oven.
35 minStep 7: While hot, cut into diamond shapes and pour the cold syrup over it.
Step 8: Press a piece of 2 ½ oz blanched almonds onto each diamond. Leave to soak and cool, then serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arabian coconut halwa take?
- About 70 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 15 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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