Sfouf is a delicious Lebanese turmeric cake made with semolina, anise and turmeric. It’s an easy eggless cake that comes together without a mixer. Enjoy it with coffee for breakfast, an afternoon treat or a light dessert!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Sfouf is my favorite Lebanese cake. I love its soft yet chewy texture and delicious blend of flavors. It’s super easy to mix up and is perfect for anytime of the day!
My husband’s relatives shared their recipes with me. After a lot of delicious recipe testing, I came up with this recipe. My version includes both flour and semolina flour, ground anise seed and turmeric and I made sure to include orange blossom water.
For more rustic cake recipes, try my orange cardamom cake, pistachio and ricotta cake, and blood orange cake.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Sfouf is perfect for any occasion. Everyone loves it. It’s easy to prepare without a mixer!
- You only need a handful of ingredients.
- The combination of turmeric and anise makes for a unique spiced flavor. Turmeric gives sfouf it’s signature bright golden yellow color. For another deliciously spiced treat, try my chai bars.
- It’s naturally egg-free and can also be made dairy-free.
Ingredients
- Turmeric-Turmeric powder gives sfouf its signature golden color. It gives adds a mild, earthy flavor along with antioxidant benefits. For another delicious turmeric recipe, try my turmeric cookies.
- Ground anise seeds- Anise seeds have a delicious licorice-y flavor. I bought ground anise seeds from my local Middle Eastern store. You also can buy anise seeds and grind them in a spice grinder.
- All purpose flour and fine semolina-This recipe is made with both all purpose flour and fine semolina. Semolina is a type of flour made from durum wheat. It adds flavor and helps give the cake its unique texture. Some sfouf recipes use only all purpose flour, but I prefer the combination of all purpose flour and semolina for both a soft, yet slightly chewy texture.
- Milk- I use regular whole or 2% milk.
- Oil- Use canola or vegetable oil.
- Tahini– I love that traditional sfouf recipes use tahini to coat the baking pan. Its adds flavor and gives sfouf a golden and delicious crust. If you enjoy baking with tahini, try these tahini chocolate chip cookies and tahini brownies.
- Sesame seeds– Sprinkle some raw sesame seeds are on top for a simple but pretty decoration.
- Orange blossom water (optional)-Orange blossom water is optional, but I recommend it. We’re only using a small amount so that it doesn’t overpower the other flavors. It has a floral, citrusy flavor that pairs so well with the turmeric and anise.
Please see recipe card below for full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap in any neutral oil such as safflower in place of canola or vegetable oil. You can also use melted butter.
- In place of cow’s milk, you can use any plant based milk.
- Instead of tahini, coat the pan with baking spray or butter.
- Top the cake with chopped walnuts, blanched almonds or pine nuts instead of sesame seeds.
Instructions
Step 1 (Photo 1 above) Whisk to combine the semolina, all purpose flour, turmeric, ground anise, and baking powder in a mixing bowl.
Step 2 (Photo 2 above) In a large mixing bowl, whisk to combine the milk, oil and sugar until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 3 (Photo 3 above) Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
Step 4 (Photo 4 above) Pour batter into a 9 inch square pan brushed with tahini.
Step 5 (Photo 5 above) Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Step 6 (Photo 6 above) Bake at 350 degrees for 24-29 minutes. Allow to cool then slice and enjoy!
Expert Tips
Make sure your turmeric is fresh. Turmeric is one of the main ingredients. Using fresh turmeric will give you a better tasting cake.
Instead of 1 and 1/3 cups, use 1 and 1/2 cups sugar for a more traditional flavor.
I like to keep things simple and just sprinkle sesame seeds on top. For a fancier looking cake, you can arrange the sesame seeds (or pine nuts or blanched almonds) in patterns. Look up sfouf on Pinterest or in Google images for some examples and inspiration!
Cut sfouf into squares or diamond shapes.
Recipe FAQs
Before baking, top sfouf with pine nuts, sesame seeds, almonds or chopped walnuts.
Sfouf is from Lebanon.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for 6 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Did you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and 📝 comment below.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Sfouf
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons tahini for greasing the pan, or use butter or baking spray
- ¾ cups semolina coarse or fine semolina
- 1¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon anise seed powder
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil or canola oil
- 1⅓ cup granulated sugar or use up to 1½ cups sugar
- ½ teaspoon orange blossom water or rose water, optional
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or pine nuts or almonds
Instructions
- Brush the bottom and sides of a 9 inch square pan with tahini. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a large sized mixing bowl, whisk to combine the semolina, flour, turmeric, ground anise, and baking powder. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, orange blossom water and sugar until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add the the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a spatula until until combined. Avoid overmixing.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over top.
- Bake for 24-29 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake.
- Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Dina T
Love this recipe! The Sfouf came our delicious
Natalie
Hi Dina! I’m so happy you loved this sfouf recipe! Thanks so much for your comment. Have a great day, Natalie