Baseema - Sudanese Cake with Semolina

To prepare a delicious and flavorful dessert, we will start by combining the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, we carefully mix the sugar, coconut, and semolina. These ingredients, when combined, form the sweet and aromatic base of our dessert. At the end of this mixture, we add the baking powder, which will help the composition to rise and aerate during baking, giving it a fluffy texture.

In another pot, we place the milk and butter over medium heat, being careful not to let them boil too hard. When both ingredients are close to boiling point, we take them off the heat and pour the semolina and coconut mixture over them. It is essential to mix everything well so that the ingredients are evenly incorporated and we obtain a homogeneous composition. At this point, we can also add other optional ingredients, such as vanilla essence or lemon zest, to enhance the flavor of our dessert.

The next step is to prepare our baking tray. We grease a baking pan with butter, ensuring it is evenly covered to prevent the dessert from sticking. We pour the composition into the tray, being careful to level it so that it has a thickness of about 1.5 cm. Now, we can place the tray in the preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and let the dessert bake for about 35 minutes, or until it becomes beautifully golden.

After baking, we take the tray out of the oven and sprinkle the nuts over the still hot composition, gently pressing them down with our fingers to secure them well. This step will add a crunchy contrast and a special flavor. We let the dessert cool for about an hour to stabilize.

Once cooled, we carefully pour a cold syrup (it can be sugar syrup or fruit syrup) over the dessert, adding a layer of moisture and sweetness. We can return it to the oven, setting the temperature to 200 degrees for another 5 minutes, so that we get a slightly caramelized crust on top. Finally, we take the dessert out of the oven, let it cool a bit, then cut it into portions and serve it either warm or cold, depending on our preferences. This dessert is perfect to be enjoyed alongside a cup of tea or coffee, thus becoming an unforgettable treat.