Basbousa I

Description
Semolina cake

Ingredients

 * ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
 * 1 cup superfine sugar
 * 2 small eggs
 * 2 cups fine yellow semolina
 * 1 tsp baking powder
 * ½ tsp baking soda
 * blanched split almonds
 * syrup (recipe follows)

Syrup

 * 2¼ cups sugar
 * juice of 1 lemon

Directions

 * 1) Cream the butter and the sugar and then beat in the eggs.
 * 2) Stir in a ½ cup water.
 * 3) Sift together the semolina, baking powder, and soda, and stir into the butter mixture to form a smooth batter.
 * 4) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
 * 5) Lightly grease an 8-by-12-inch cake pan and pour in the batter.
 * 6) Spread it evenly with the back of a spoon and then score across the top of the cake parallel lines going from the bottom left corner to the top right and vice versa, to form diamond shapes.
 * 7) Place an almond in the center of each diamond.
 * 8) Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, when the cake should be firm and lightly browned.
 * 9) Prepare the syrup as described below and pour it, spoonfuls at a time, over the hot cake.
 * 10) Stop when the cake will not absorb any more and set the cake aside to cool before serving.

Syrup

 * 1) Over a medium heat dissolve the sugar in 1½ cups water, add the lemon juice and bring to the boil.
 * 2) Reduce heat and gently boil the syrup for 10 minutes.