This is a very easy and well-known Arabic dessert. If baked well, it is light and fluffy.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
3 cups semolina
2 ½ cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground aniseed
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla or a pinch of vanilla sugar
Pine seeds or almonds for garnish
Tahina/Tahini (a thick paste made from ground sesame seeds) to grease pan (medium rectangular or square)

Method:

1) Grease bottom of pan with tahini/tahina.

2) In a bowl mix all the ingredients together to get a mixture medium in thickness.

3) Spread the mixture in the pan and smooth the top with a spoon wetted with water.

4) Garnish with pine seeds or almonds

5) Bake for about 30 minutes or until the golden brown on top in an 350F/gas mark4/180 C oven.

6) Remove from oven and leave to cool in pan then cut up into desired shape.

Taken from book: Anaheed’s Eastern sweets (translated from Arabic)

In Arabic sweets usually the ashta (cream) used is store bought because it is easier than preparing it at home but none is available the following recipe is a good alternative. This can be used in any Arabic sweet that requires ashta.

Ingredients:

2 cups/500ml milk
½ cup/60g corn flour
170g thick cream
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Method:

In a saucepan, combine the cream, milk and corn flour. Bring the mixture to a boil until the mixture thickens, constantly stir. Take off the heat and stir in orange blossom water and set it aside to cool.

Atayef bi ashta (pancakes with cream)

Serves 10

Ingredients:

½ cup or 100g butter, melted
400g sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon anis seeds
½ teaspoon ground mahlab
1 teaspoon orange zest
5 tablespoons orange juice
200g semolina, normal (smeed)
200g fine semolina

Syrup:

2 cups or 400g sugar
11/2 cups or 375ml water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon rosewater

Method:

1) Combine butter, condensed milk, baking powder, anis seeds, mahlab, orange zest and orange juice and stir well. Add semolina and stir until well combined.

2) Grease a 28cm x 24cm baking tin, and then pour semolina mixture in the tin. Bake in a 190C preheated oven for 35 min or until it becomes golden in color (well, I opened the grill, the top part of the oven, a bit after baking was finished to get the color needed on the top).

3) Remove from oven and pour the cooled syrup all over (it will be absorbed).

This cake is great for any occasion and tastes amazing. It is orangey, chocolaty and fluffy. It also can be eaten with cream or ice-cream on the side.

Ingredients:

Cake mixture

1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 ¾ cups flour
1 teaspoon soda bicarbonate
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon orange rind
1 cup butter
1 ½ cups butter milk (if none add 4 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar in a cup and add milk until you get 1 ½ cups)
¾ cup cacao powder
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Sauce

1 cup thick cream
250g bitter chocolate
½ teaspoon vanilla

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a round tube pan with butter and dust with flour.

2) Cake mixture: In a bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate, baking powder, cinnamon,  and salt. Add the orange rind and sugar then set aside.

3) In a small sauce pan place the butter, butter milk and cacao; put over low heat stir until smooth. Don’t let it boil, just heat.

4) Pour the hot mixture on the flour mixture in the mixer bowl.

5) Use a beater to whisk on medium speed for half a minute. Add one egg and beat until it disappears.

6) Add the second egg and vanilla; beat on medium speed until it disappears. Pour in pan (you will notice that the mixture is liquid like, this in normal for this recipe).

7) Bake for 35-40 min until cooked (check with a wooden skewer)

8*) Take out of the oven and let cool on a wire rack for 2-3 min. Remove from pan and place on rack to cool.

9) Sauce: Place the cream, bring to a boil on low heat; add the chocolate and vanilla and stir until melted. Take away from the heat and let it rest for a few minutes. Pour the sauce on the cake before it thickens.

Adapted from: Manal Al-Alem’s Kitchen cook book

This is another version of the Tiramisu that I posted earlier. It has a slightly different taste than the previous one. This cake also prepared by my sister.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 cup warm coffee
1 packet of lady fingers
1 cup whipping cream
1 cup thick cream
200 g of cream cheese
2 packets of readymade crème caramel in powder form
1 cup of grated chocolate (any kind you wish)

Garnish:
Grated chocolate and cocoa powder

Method:

1) Bring a glass bowl that has large groves in it in which the lady fingers can fit and cover it with cling film/nylon on the inside and let part of it flow outside the bowl.

2) Immerse the lady fingers in the coffee for a bit then align on the sides and bottom\vs of the glass bowl/cling film.

3) In another bowl put the whipping cream, cheese, caramel powder and thick cream and mix on medium power until all the ingredients are blended with a creamy smooth mixture. Fold in the grated chocolate.

4) Put ½ of the mixture on the prepared glass bowl then layer it with coffee filled lady fingers. Repeat process. Close the cling film over the last layer of lady fingers and press down a little.

5) Place the cake in the fridge for several hours or overnight.

6) Open top layer of cling film and invert the cake on serving plate the remove the glass bowl slowly then the cling film.

7) Garnish: Spread the caramel sauce from the crème caramel packets on the cake then sprinkle the grated chocolate then sift cocoa powder on it.

Translated and taken from manalonline.com