Hareeseh - Yogurt Cake
This lovely moist cake is easy to assemble. It can be served as a round, single layer cake or cut into squares. Either way, the nutty aroma of cooked tahini will fill the house. Hareeseh is traditionally topped with a cool sugar syrup and pine nuts or almonds.
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Servings: 16
Equipment
- 8-inch square metal baking pan
- Medium bowl, wooden spoon
- small saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 tsp Tahini
- 1 cup Plain low-fat yogurt
- ⅔ tsp Baking soda
- 1½ cups Semolina #1 (fine)
- 5 tbsp Sugar
- 4 tbsp Butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 16 Pine nuts or blanched almonds
- ½ cup Sugar syrup, (see notes)
- Powdered sugar
- Kaymak (see notes)
Instructions
- Prep - Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Smear tahini over bottom and sides of a baking pan. Combine yogurt and baking soda in a small bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Assemble - In a medium bowl, combine semolina and sugar; mix well. Add butter into the yogurt and pour it all over the semolina. Mix everything to a stiff, well blended dough. Spread dough evenly in the baking pan. Do not pat it down. With a thin knife, cut dough into 4 squares each direction. Place a pine nut or almond in the middle of each square.
- Cook - Bake 40 minutes until the edges are beginning to brown and top is golden. Remove from oven and immediately run a knife along the cut lines and pour the syrup over the hot cake. Return to oven and bake 4-5 minutes. Serve warm or cold sprinkled with powdered sugar and next to a dollop of kaymac, if desired.
Notes
- To make sugar syrup, bring 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Dissolve sugar. Skim surface. Lower heat to medium, add 1 tbsp lemon juice, and simmer until the syrup seems sticky, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp rose water, if you have it. Can be refrigerated for months.
- Kaymak is similar to creme fraiche or clotted cream. For this decent approximation of the real thing, take 1 cup whole milk yogurt drained to 1/4 cup. Beat together with 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese. Keep chilled.
Nutrition
Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 81mg | Potassium: 49mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg