Egyptian Harissa Dessert

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A tall decadent semolina cake stuffed with a mixture of shredded coconut, raisins and hazelnuts. A special dessert that feeds a crowd.

Prep Time40 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Resting before serving:1 hr

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Egyptian, Middle Eastern

Diet: Halal

Servings: pieces

Calories: 366kcal

Author: Amira

In a heavy bottom, light colored pan, sprinkle sugar in an even layer and turn heat to medium.
When you notice that the sugar starts melting around the edges lower the heat and stir lightly to mix sugar so it will melt evenly.
When the sugar caramelize, remove from heat and carefully and gradually pour the hot milk while stirring.
You will notice the mixture is bubbling and rising so keep your distance until it calms down a bit. Also you will notice that the sugar will clump but do not freak out this is normal. Return to very low heat and stir to dissolve sugar clumps.
When it has dissolved remove from heat, mix in butter and honey then set aside to cool down a bit.
In a separate bowl, add semolina, all purpose flour, baking powder and coconut then mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the caramel mix, do not over mix.
Divide the mixture in two halves.

Preheat your oven to 350F
Brush a 10in round aluminum pan with butter then spread half the mixture on the bottom and sides of the pan.
Add the filling and level.
Wet your hands with some water and spread the remaining harissa mixture on top.
Sprinkle crushed hazelnuts on top and press lightly with your hands.
Bake in the oven until top is golden.

In a sauce pan add sugar, water and honey.
Stir for 10 seconds then turn heat on and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat and set aside.
When the harissa is done pour the warm syrup over and let it rest and cool down at least an hour before cutting and serving.

Be extremely cautious when caramelizing the sugar. I advice you to use light colored pan, a spatula with long handle and stay close by and attentive to your pan.
Keep a large pan of iced water nearby just in case anything got out of control and the caramel splattered.
It is very helpful to use a large pan to minimize splattering as well.
Your milk needs to be hot and not cold or room temperature. I microwave mine for a minute full power before I use it in the caramel.
Sometimes the milk curdle when added to the caramelized sugar, honestly this is not important in our case as we are not making a silky smooth caramel to use on top of ice cream or something.
Do not overmix the harissa mixture as this will cause the harissa to be hard and not soft.
Unlike basbousa, harissa needs to be hot while the syrup is warm and not boiling hot. So start making the syrup when you put the harissa in the oven so it will have around 10 to 15 minutes to cool off a bit.
Variations:
- Some people like their harissa hard. To do so use coarse semolina (farina) and you may also want to decrease the ghee to ¾ cup instead of a full cup.
- In some parts of Egypt as well the filling does not have semolina and instead they use a full cup of sweetened coconut or even more in the filling along with the raisins and nuts.
- Garnishing the Harissa with hazelnuts and candied cherries is also a common variation in some parts of Egypt.
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