Namoura (نمورة), is a delicious Lebanese cake/dessert that is super easy to make and widely known across the Middle East. It is topped with almonds, baked and then soaked with an aromatic sugar.
WHAT IS NAMOURA (نمورة)?
This Namoura dessert is the classic recipe of the original Lebanese Namoura. Many other Middle Eastern cultures called it by other names. Egyptians call it Basbousa, Palestinians call is Harissa, Armenians call it Shamali, Persians call it Revani/Ravani, which even Greeks have adapted. But of course they are made slightly different based on their culture and traditions. I know Basbousa, which my husband really likes, is the coconut version of this recipe. Namoura is served all year round and during many religious festivities.
HOW TO MAKE THE NAMOURA (نمورة)?
The Namoura (نمورة) cake is so easy to make. In a large bowl mix the sugar, semolina, and butter together. Then add in the milk, baking powder, orange blossoms water, yogurt and mix well to obtain a thick sticky batter.
Brush a non-stick sheet pan (which I prefer using because I like my Namoura cake thin, about an 3/4 inch thick at the most) with tahini paste and then place the batter on it and flatten out completely with a spatula or your palm.
Let it sit for about 1 hour and then cut out the namoura into square patterns or diamond shape patterns, whatever you prefer. I do it like this because it looks pretty. Then press a piece of halved raw almond (peeled) on each piece of cut out cake. The reason I cut it out before baking is because it makes the cutting later so much easier and doesn’t break apart as much. the pieces come one perfectly cut on the edges.
Bake the Namoura cake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, and if the top if not gold enough for you, you can broil it for a few minutes. Watch closely. I just don’t like to over cook the Namoura because it becomes try and too crunch. That is why if it needs any more color, I just broil the top. Once you remove from the oven, pour 1 1/4-2 cups of sugar syrup evenly over the Namoura while it’s hot. I like using those ketchup or mustard rubber containers to drizzle the sugar syrup over the cake. We don’t like the cake super sweet. Some people drench the cake with sugar and that is one reason I don’t like to buy this cake and would rather make it at home. If you like it super sweet, feel free to add some more sugar syrup to it.
That’s all it takes to make this delicious Namoura (نمورة) recipe. Namoura is very popular during Ramadan. I love the fact that the portions are small and you don’t have to eat a huge piece. You can enjoy a small piece whenever you have a sweet tooth. I hope you enjoy this recipe and have a minute to Share and Rate it! Be sure to tag and follow me on my Instagram as well. I would love to hear your feedback! Xoxo…
OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY LIKE:
Namoura (نمورة)
Ingredients
- 3 cups semolina flour coarse
- 1 cup semolina flour (ferkha) fine
- 1 cup butter melted
- 1 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt regular not greek
- 1 cup evaporated milk carnation, warm
- 3 tbsp. orange blossoms water
- 2 tbsps. tahini paste for rubbing the tray
- 1/2 cup almonds peeled, halves
SUGAR SYRUP:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 1.5 tbsps. orange blossoms water
Instructions
- In an electric mixing bowl, mix the sugar, semolina, and butter together. Add in the milk, orange blossoms water, baking powder, yogurt and mix on low speed for 1-2 minutes to obtain a thick batter.
- Line a nonstick half sheet pan (17.5 inch x 13 inch) with parchment paper. Brush with the tahini paste and then place the batter on it and spread out evenly on the pan with a spatula or your palm. You can wet your palms to help spread it out.
- Let it sit for about 45 minutes to an hour (until the semolina absorbs the moisture and becomes softer) and then cut out the namoura into square patterns or diamond shape patterns, whatever you prefer.
- NOTE: You do not have to do the cutting now. You can just add the almonds on top and cut out after the namoura cools down but this helps the sugar syrup get into the cake better after baking as well as make it easier to cut.
- Bake the Namoura cake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30- 40 minutes (depending on your oven and thickness) until the edges start to brown up. Turn the top broiler on to broil the top a few minutes to obtain a darker golden color on top. Watch very close so you do not burn it.
- Remove from the oven and pour 1¼-2 cups (based on your preference) of sugar syrup evenly over the Namoura while it's hot. Let it cool at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
SUGAR SYRUP:
- In a small pot, mix the sugar and water well until the sugar dissolves. Bing to boil and then start timing 5 minutes time on medium heat.
- Add in the lemon juice and orange blossoms water and boil for another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the syrup cool down.
Notes
- Prepare sugar syrup during bake time or before.
- This recipe comes out about 3/4 inch thick after baking. I like mine thin that's why I use the half sheet pan tray so it spreads out thinly. If you like your namoura thicker than that, use a smaller pan. The smaller the pan the thicker the thickness would be. The thicker the cake, the longer the cook time will be. I would not recommend using a pan more than 2 inches smaller than the one I use. It will come out really thick.
- Let the namoura cool for 3-4 hours before serving so it absorbs the sugar syrup and holds up more. The first day, the cake texture will feel a little crunchy (we like it like that at our house). By the next day the cake will be much softer because semolina has absorbed all the liquids.
- Store in an air tight container after completely cooling and cutting into pieces to preserve it's freshness.
- Use more or less sugar syrup to your preference. But it should have at least 1.5 cups of syrup to come out a bit moist and not too dry. I do not add too much syrup either because it becomes way too sweet. It's all based on your preference and what you like. So adjust according.
When you say coarse semolina, do you mean like semolina 2 or semolina 3? I have fine semolina that I bought at a Mediterranean market and is numbered 1. I know they have 2 and 3 that’s why I’m asking. BTW, I’m attempting to make this instead of buying because they went up in price and can’t justify paying $8.99 for two little pieces 🥲
You read that right, 2 for $8.99!!
Hi Linda,
I emailed you.
Do you know if there is a preference among kids – or adults- which kind of piece they get, whether it is an edge or a middle piece? I am creating a problem based learning experience for kids in Egypt and I don’t know if this cake has a different texture, sweetness to the edge pieces vs a middle piece. Any insight would be wonderful.
Hi Peg,
Both my husband and I and the kids as well like the edges! They are so flavorful and crispy.
Thank you for the receiepe ARE YOU GOING TO BAKE WITH THE PARCHMENT PAPER?
Yes I do because it makes it easier for me to clean the pan 😀
Tried this again and came out awesome! The evaporated milk makes it super moist. It was a hit!! Thank you Mima!
What can be used instead of yogurt
You can use whole milk or carnation milk.
Is there any substitute for orange blossom water?
unfortunately there is no substitution for the flavor the orange blossom water gives. I have seen some people not add it at all, but it’s not something I enjoy without.
Can we freeze the nammoura?
Hi Maha,
Unfortunately no.
Followed the recipe to the letter and ended up with the most amazing Nammoura! Reminds me of home! Perfect 👌🏼 🤩
Thanks so much for leaving a comment. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
This was my bad!! I’m sorry! So frustrated because I’ve been trying to find the right namoura recipe and it’s like each one is missing something
Yours seemed like a winner
I’ll follow up once I do it again.
I didn’t let it sit! That’s where I went wrong
I put it in the oven right away.
Added coconut and it came out fabulous! Great recipe
Very moist cake
Hi Chris,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review. I also have a coconut basbousa recipe on my site if you want to try it next time.
This was very good! Thank you for a wonderful recipe! I used whole milk instead of carnation milk as you suggested as an alternative in the comments.
Hi Nadea,
Thanks so much for leaving a review. I really appreciate it and glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I’d the final result supposed to be soft like cake or harder, almost crunchy?
Hi Rebecca,
This all depends on the tray you are using. The smaller the tray the thicker and more cake like it will be. The larger your tray, the more the batter spreads out and you get a thinner cake thickness and it will come out more crunchy. Also you can always toast the top with the broiler a little more to create more crunch. The perfect size for this recipe is a half a sheet pan, which is about 17 x 13 inches.
Hi I followed your recipe but the batter was a little runny why would that be?
Hi Hayam,
Not sure. Sometimes the type of semolina also makes a difference. I recently used a new brand and it was terrible. It did not suck in the liquids well and didn’t hold up. Use only Ziyad brand if you can. Use 4 cups of semolina and reduce the butter by 1/4 cup. Let the batter sit well for 30-45 minutes before cutting. Also you don’t have to cut it ahead. Bake it, pour syrup and once it’s cold, you can cut it up. Sometimes people find the pre-cutting tricky. Hope that helps.
Where is the coconut?
Hi Andy,
This is the Lebanese version Namoura, not Basbousa. Usually Basbousa has coconut in it, typically made in other Middle Eastern countries.
I made this today and put 1.5 tablespoons baking powder as stated but the namoura rose so much and looks more like sfouf! Did you mean it to be 1.5 teaspoons instead?
Hi Sandra,
Did you use the half sheet pan? The size if that pan is 17.88 x 12.88 x 1.06 inches. Its big enough to spread the batter to not rise that much. But if you use another pan thats smaller, yes you will have to reduce the baking powder because the batter will be thicker than that of a half sheet pan. Also you can always reduce the amount of BB at anytime if you don’t want it to rise too much. It’s all a matter of preference.
Thank you 😊 makes sense!
Hi, Can you use evaporated milk?
Hi Maryam,
Ofcorse, that the same as evaporated milk.
Can we replace the carnation milk with regular milk?
Hi Ghaida,
Yes, but full fat milk only.
How do you make the triangles so perfect? I can make perfect squares but not the triangles ? Thank you .
Sauson
Hi Sauson!
You can follow the pattern of the lines I made from the uncooked pan. Basically the edge pieces wont be perfect like that but the middle section will give you that shape.
Do you have to brush with tahini paste?
Hi Alin,
Most people do that as it also adds a bit of a flavor to the crust but if you don’t have it in hand, just use a parchment paper and spray it with baking spray.
Hey, those namoura look amazing, how do you ensure they are perfectly even in the baking pan and come out even?
Thank you!
Hi Salem,
After you pour in the batter, get your palms a little wet and pat down the batter to even it all out on the tray.
Hello!
Your Namoura recipe sounds amazing!
How big should the pan be?
Greetings,
Ema
Hi Ema!
If you would like the namoura to come out thin (about 3/4 inch), you can use a “1/2 sheet pan” size. If you would like it to be a little thicker (a little over 1 inch), you can use a 9 x 13 pan.