Sfouf (Lebanese Turmeric Semolina Cake)
سفوف (لبنان کا ہلدی والا سوجی کا کیک)
Sfouf is a bright yellow Lebanese cake coloured with turmeric, a spice most people associate with curry, not dessert. Made with semolina, flour, milk and oil and scented with aniseed, it has a slightly crumbly, cake-like texture and a gentle, warm sweetness. It's eggless, quick to mix by hand, and baked in a tray with a pine nut or almond on every square. Pakistani readers who love tea cake or suji halwa will find it familiar and easy.
- ⏱ Total: 50 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 35 min
- Easy
- Serves 12
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23 × 33 cm tin with tahini (traditional) or oil.
Mix the semolina, flour, sugar, turmeric, baking powder and aniseed in a bowl. Add the oil and rub it in with your fingers for 2 minutes so the semolina absorbs it.
Stir in the milk until you have a smooth, thick, pourable batter. Don't overmix.
Pour into the tin and smooth the top. Mark lightly into squares and press an almond into the centre of each. Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely in the tin before cutting into squares.
Kitchen notes
Don't overdo the turmeric: a tablespoon gives a beautiful colour; more makes the cake taste bitter.
Rubbing the oil into the semolina first gives a tender crumb.
Sfouf keeps for 4–5 days in an airtight tin and tastes even better on day two.
A golden Lebanese cake
Sfouf is a traditional cake from Lebanon, sold in bakeries and made at home for guests and family visits. In some Lebanese Christian communities it’s made for Lent because the classic recipe has no eggs or butter. Its colour comes entirely from turmeric, which gives it a warm golden yellow.
Semolina cakes
Semolina gives sfouf a slightly sandy, crumbly texture, like a cross between a cake and a basbousa, but sfouf isn’t soaked in syrup, so it’s lighter and less sweet. Rubbing the oil into the semolina before adding the milk coats the grains and keeps the cake tender.
The tahini tin
Lebanese bakers grease the tin with tahini, which gives the bottom of the cake a toasty, nutty crust. Oil or butter works fine if you don’t have tahini.
Serving
Serve with tea or Arabic coffee. For more Arabic sweets, try basbousa, maamoul and qatayef.
Questions people ask
Does sfouf taste of turmeric?
Only very slightly: an earthy warmth behind the sweetness. The main flavours are aniseed and toasted semolina.
Can I make it vegan?
Yes. Use oat or almond milk; the cake already has no eggs or butter.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 300
- Protein
- 5 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
