Make Ahead

Sfoof - Vegan Lebanese Yellow Tea Cake

by:
July 25, 2013
3
1 Ratings
Sfoof - Vegan Lebanese Yellow Tea Cake
  • Serves 16
Author Notes

The thing I love about this cake is you have complete artistic freedom to experiment with different spices. Maybe some add a little bit of ginger, or cinnamon? Just make sure you use the turmeric, as that’s what gives the cake its gorgeous yellow colour. If you love dense, aromatic cakes packed with flavor, which are freezer friendly, this is for you.

For the gluten free version, substitute the semolina for cornmeal or polenta and the all purpose flour for a gluten free flour.

To freeze, wrap each piece in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. —Mya Istanbouly

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups Semolina
  • 1.5 cups All purpose flour
  • 1 cup Almond Oil
  • 2 teaspoons Turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 2 teaspoons Ground aniseed (can be substituted for 2 tsp of cardamom
  • 1.5 cups Sugar
  • 1.5 cups Soymilk (or water), chilled
  • 2 tablespoons Tahini
  • 1 handful Sesame seeds, slivered almonds or pine nuts, to garnish. I used chopped raw almonds
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC)
  2. In a bowl, mix semolina, flour, turmeric, baking powder, and aniseed. Add oil and stir to make a runny paste.
  3. In a separate bowl, melt sugar in the chilled soymilk. Gradually beat the sugar mixture into the flour and spices paste.
  4. Grease the baking dish with tahini (or oil). Pour batter into the pan and ensure that the top is flat.. Garnish with your choice of seeds or nuts.
  5. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until golden-brown. Insert a bamboo skewer into the cake; if it comes out clean, it’s ready. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Best served with tea or coffee.
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2 Reviews

Joseph
Joseph April 2, 2019
Joseph again. Again the results were less than sterling. Cake was dense, not high rising nor fluffy like the photo led me to expect. Is baking powder amount correct? Should I have added more almond oil to produce a “runny “ paste the author mentioned. Are the authors giving all the small details they know from previous attempts? Still bewildered searching for acceptable vegan sfouf. Any ideas? Thank you.
 
Joseph
Joseph April 2, 2019
I mixed the oil into the dry ingredients for sfouf but I didn’t realize a runny paste just a rather stiff paste. Should I have added additional oil?
It’s baking now. Let’s see. I have tried to make sfouf before but no luck. Hope this will be better.