Name: Orange Blossom Semolina Cake (Namoura)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 16 servings
Ingredients: 300 g semolina (fine); 150 g sugar (for cake); 200 g Greek yogurt; 100 g butter (melted); 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tbsp tahini (for greasing pan); 16 blanched almonds (for decoration); 200 g sugar (for syrup); 200 ml water (for syrup); 1 tsp lemon juice (for syrup); 1 tbsp orange blossom water

A traditional Middle Eastern semolina cake soaked in orange blossom syrup. Dense, fragrant, and dangerously easy to eat.

My grandmother made this cake every Friday and the smell of orange blossom still takes me straight back to her kitchen. Namoura is not fancy — it is a simple semolina cake soaked in syrup — but it is one of the most satisfying things you can bake. The cake itself is dense and slightly gritty from the semolina, which is a good thing — it absorbs the syrup without falling apart. And the syrup, scented with orange blossom water, gives it this floral sweetness that is completely addictive. Every f