A wonderful apple cake recipe that’s highly customizable. I lightly adapted Emiko Davies‘ recipe and added thinly slices apples to give the top of the cake a rustic look. Feel free to fold in chopped toasted walnuts in the batter or plump raisins to add texture and a chewy bite to the soft melt-in-your mouth
Cakes
Olive Oil Cake with Persimmons
For my birthday last year, my friend and I went to our favorite Italian restaurant in Brooklyn called Lillia. It was 11pm at night, we had ordered two Americanos and a slice of olive oil cake served with whipped cream and fresh persimmons. I still remember the taste of that wonderful cake because not only
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Breads and Pastries
Rhubarb Cream Scones
A wonderful seasonal recipe that results in tender yet flaky scones. The addition of heavy cream and egg to the mixture increases the amount of fat in the dough making them richer and softer on the inside than their British counterpart. Always remember to handle the dough as little as possible to avoid a tough
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Arabic Sweets
Sfouf bi Debes (Carob Molasses Cake)
Sfouf is the most popular recipe on my blog: it’s a semolina anise seed tea cake that’s fluffy, moist, incredibly flavorful and vegan. The baking time is actually longer than the time it takes to mix all the ingredients together; it’s no wonder why it is the most viewed page on this site! This version of sfouf is made with
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Cakes
Olive Oil Ricotta Semolina Cake with Roasted Quince
I’ve been playing around with this recipe for quite some time now and made several versions of it with different winter fruits. The addition of the semolina and high-quality olive oil in the batter makes a tender and light cake that’s complex in flavor. It’s studded with quince, that’s slightly roasted in orange blossom water
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Arabic Sweets
Karabij (Semolina Rosewater Pistachio Cookies)
I’ve always been curious about the science of baking. Understanding how ingredients work together to create specific baked goods is so fascinating and that’s what keeps me driven to try out new recipes and techniques. For example, when I think of a simple pie crust recipe, so many questions rush through my mind: Should I
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Arabic Sweets
Pistachio Baklava
The intense smell of melted butter began to swirl in my tiny apartment. I peeked into the oven to assure that the little diamond-shaped baklava pieces were nicely bronzed and crisp. I knew it was time to take them out. Placing the pan on the stove, I quickly reached for the cold rose flower and
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Cakes
Pomegranate Cake with Tangerine Rosewater Syrup
Semolina flour is one of those incredibly versatile ingredients that’s always worth having on hand. I’ve used it in desserts like Halawet el Jibn, Bohsalino, and even Sfouf cake (which is the most viewed recipe on my blog!) In today’s post, I baked a simple semolina lemon butter cake and paired it with two seasonal fruits:
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Breads and Pastries
Light Banana Bread
Would you believe me if I said that I can never get banana bread recipes right? Whenever I have overripe bananas on hand I prefer making pancakes, muffins, or ice cream because I used to dread ending up with a failed banana bread. No matter how many recipes I tried, the result is always the same: a
