Sfouf is a beloved everyday Lebanese cake, its golden hue coming from turmeric long before it was fashionable elsewhere. Simple and pantry-friendly, often made without eggs, it was a sweet that any household could whip up to go with afternoon coffee or tea. Cut into the traditional diamond shapes and topped with a single almond, sfouf is the kind of humble cake that tastes of home and quiet hospitality.
Tender and faintly grainy from the semolina, sfouf is gently sweet with an earthy, almost peppery warmth from the turmeric. The almond on top adds a little crunch, making it the perfect understated companion to a strong cup of coffee.
Semolina gives the cake its characteristic tender, slightly sandy crumb that holds together when cut into neat diamonds. Turmeric does double duty, dyeing the batter its signature gold and adding a subtle earthy warmth, while baking powder alone provides enough lift for a cake that often skips eggs entirely.
Variations
Eggless oil-based version; with tahini in the batter; pine nuts instead of almonds; anise-flavored; richer butter version
On the Palate
Where Sfouf sits in the Lebanese flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 12
How it's made
8 steps · 15 min
- 13 min
Whisk together semolina, flour, sugar, baking powder and a generous amount of ground turmeric.
- 24 min
Stir in milk and oil (and anise if using) until you have a smooth, pourable batter.
Watch outWhisk to a smooth, pourable batter that runs off the whisk in a ribbon and glows deep gold — thin like heavy cream, not thick like paste.
- 33 min
Grease a baking pan and dust it lightly with semolina or sesame seeds.
- 42 min
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top evenly.
- 54 min
Score the surface into diamond shapes and press a blanched almond into each.
- 633 min
Bake in a 180C oven until set, golden and a skewer comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes.
Watch outBake until the top is set and golden and a skewer comes out clean — the turmeric makes it look done early, so trust the skewer, not the color.
- 720 min
Cool in the pan, then cut along the scored diamond lines.
- 82 min
Serve at room temperature with coffee or tea.
