Jordanian Fresh Fig and Honey Semolina Cake with Toasted Pistachios

Heat the oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the base with parchment.

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (255 g) fine semolina
• 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) mild olive oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 ripe fresh figs, halved
• 2/3 cup (160 ml) honey
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) water
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• 1/2 cup (60 g) shelled pistachios, toasted and roughly crushed

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the base with parchment.
2. Whisk the semolina, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
3. In another bowl, whisk the yogurt, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined, then let the batter rest 15 minutes so the semolina swells — skip this and the cake bakes up sandy.
5. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Press the fig halves cut side up into the surface in concentric circles, spacing them evenly; they will sink partway as it bakes.
6. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer inserted between the figs comes out clean.
7. While it bakes, bring the honey and water to a simmer in a small saucepan, cook 3 minutes, then take off the heat and stir in the orange blossom water.
8. Spoon the warm syrup evenly over the hot cake the moment it leaves the oven. Let it drink in and cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes — a warm cake and warm syrup means it soaks rather than sits.
9. Scatter the toasted pistachios over the top and cut into wedges. Serve warm or at room temperature with thick yogurt.
10. Semolina cakes soaked in syrup run right across the Levant under a dozen names — basbousa, namoura, harissa — and Jordan's version leans on honey and orange blossom rather than plain sugar syrup. Figs arrive in force in the Jordan Valley in August, so ripe they split on the branch, and baking them into the surface rather than perching them on top means their jammy sweetness runs down into the crumb. The pistachios are not decoration: their salt and crunch are what keep a very sweet cake from tipping over.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 420 kcal
• Protein: 8g
• Fat: 16g
• Carbohydrates: 64g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 38g
• Sodium: 260mg