It’s been a rough couple of weeks. I missed a step walking downstairs a year ago and it seemed to have injured a joint in my back. Lately, it’s decided to give me a lot of trouble, but after some therapy, I think we’re on the road to recovery. Anyways, I haven’t found very much time to bake lately just because there’s been a lot going on. We’re in the process of building a house, and we’re actually moving out of our apartment before it’s done, so there’s been a lot of packing as well as house planning going on. But, I do have something that I have really been looking forward to for a couple of months now! I will be attending the International Food Blogger Conference in Sacramento on September 29. I have been so excited about it and absolutely cannot wait to go. I’ve actually never been to California, so we’re making it a little vacation. I have been planning for it for so long and am determined to go and really enjoy it. I’m not gonna lie, it’s gonna be a tough couple of weeks because I need to have the apartment packed before we go because we only have a couple of days to move out after we fly back. It’s gonna be crazy, but we’ll make it work.
I’m still relatively new to the food blogging community so there are very few bloggers that are going whom I recognize. I do have a couple favorite bloggers, but none of them are attending. That said, I’m still ecstatic that I’ll get to meet a bunch of new bloggers and plan on learning a ton from this conference. Back to the Hareesa. I thought the best way to really just relax was to put off packing for a couple hours and make some Hareesa Cake. It comes together super quickly and is the perfect anytime dessert. It’s one of those recipes you can throw together quickly before a dinner party, and be sure everyone will enjoy. This is one of my moms go to desserts, and she takes the time to cut it all beautifully (like I attempted in the Coconut Hareesa). It’s very similar to the Coconut Hareesa, except this one has a Coarse Semolina (Farina) instead of flour. The cake is somewhat dense from being soaked in the simple syrup, however, it’s still a light cake. It tastes great with the toasted almonds and works beautifully next to a cup of mint tea. Try it out, You’ll definitely be going back in for seconds.
Recipe Tips:
This is a pretty straightforward recipe. It comes together really quickly and is pretty fool proof. The only thing you really need to be sure of is using the correct Coarse Semolina. This recipe calls for a Coarse Semolina
, which I typically find called Farina. You can tell the difference by the color. Fine Semolina is a pale yellow while Coarse Semolina
(Farina) is lighter in color with little brown specks in it. It really affects the recipe, so make sure to use coarse! Another thing I use is Thick Cream. It’s very common in Arabic Desserts. You can find it at any Middle Eastern Store, but you can just sub it with Sour Cream. Otherwise, you mix it all together and spread it on a cookie sheet. Top with sliced almonds and bake it for about 35 minutes. Once it comes out you want to pour the simple syrup on it. You need to make sure that your simple syrup is at room temperature if you pour it over the hot cake, or hot if you pour it on a cold cake. One has to be hot, and one has to be cold. That’s how the syrup gets absorbed correctly without ruining the texture. Cut the cake and enjoy!
[lt_recipe name=”Hareesa Cake” servings=”24″ prep_time=”10M” cook_time=”45M” total_time=”55M” difficulty=”Easy” print=”yes” ingredients=”Cake:;2 Cups Farina (Coarse Semolina);1 Cup Sugar;3/4 Cup Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut;1 TBSP Baking Powder;1 Can Ishta (Thick Cream, or 1/4 Cup Sour Cream);1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil;3/4 Cup Greek Yogurt;1/3 Cup Water;Sliced Almonds (Preferably Blanched);Simple Syrup:;2 Cups Sugar;1 1/2 Cups Water” ]Preheat Oven to 375 F. Begin by preparing the Simple Syrup. Combine the 2 Cups of Sugar and 1 1/2 Cups of water in a small pot. Place on medium heat till the sugar dissolves and begins to boil. Allow the mixture to boil for 15 min on medium-low. Allow to cool to room temperature. ;Meanwhile, while the syrup is boiling, begin preparing the cake. Grease a cookie sheet and set aside. ;Mix together 2 Cups Farina, 1 Cup Sugar, and 3/4 Cup Coconut. Add the Thick Cream (or sour cream), and 1/3 Cup Oil. ;In a separate cup or bowl mix the 3/4 Cup Greek Yogurt with the 1/3 Cup Water till emulsified. Pour onto the remaining ingredients and mix until combined. Pour into the cookie sheet and spread evenly. Top with the sliced almonds and bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. ;Immediately after removing from the oven, evenly pour the cooled syrup on the cake. Cut and Enjoy. Store leftovers in the fridge for up tp 5 days. You can store at room temperature, but it will begin to dry out. `[/lt_recipe]
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