Sfouf in muffin for a bite-sized perfection! The Lebanese turmeric sheet cake that goes by the name sfouf is one of my favorite tea cakes. Here is another great sfouf recipe that I turned into a muffin form for a modern fun version trust us, this simple recipe will be a keeper in your recipe box.

After testing between a couple of different muffin recipes and sfouf recipes over the years, I now have a new favorite! Discover with me the terrific hybrid sfouf muffin coming from two worlds, a conventional muffin with the traditional Lebanese turmeric cake that is known as sfouf — both in one easy to make and deliciously served warm or at room temperature. If you like sfouf, and muffins you’ll probably like these too. They make a neat treat for gatherings and get together with friends. Besides the delicious flavor and beautiful texture, you just need a few ingredients, and you will have bakery-style muffins with unusual ingredients that are far away from boring.

Think of the sfouf batter as a template!

This became my staple muffin recipe, and a batter that is super simple to customize to which I rely on for a variety of  flavors. My sfouf muffin recipe starts with a semolina- flour thick batter seasoned with turmeric powder; you can keep it plain just like you are making sfouf (the Lebanese semolina turmeric sheet cake) or add your choice of additions. Think of the batter as a template, one that you can play around with to make it your favorite flavor. I tested the second batter with bananas and Nutella, the result was beyond my expectation. I added apple and raisins to the third batter, excluded the turmeric and topped with a crumble layer, this was another victory; I am thinking of pears and ginger, haven’t tried yet but so curious to, so brief, customize it with your favorite flavor combinations, the sky is your limit!

My dream coffeeshop

My dream is how oneday I will be able to build and run my own coffeeshop and making it a reality. I have a ready written menu  coming from innovated keeper tested recipes, that I have built over years to wow our future clients, and sfouf muffins are sure to be part of the menu, a recipe that I can play around with various flavors, it is kids and adults approaved.

Ingredients Needed To Make the Classic Sfouf Batter

• Fine Semolina or Coarse semolina: I have tested with both and ended up loving both.
• All-purpose flour: Too much flour and your muffins are dry. For best results, use a leveled measuring (250 ml /1 cup) to measure the     flour.
• Granulated sugar:  Granulated sugar is used here, but you can use as well dark brown sugar as well.
• Sunflower oil: For flavor and tender muffins.
• Turmeric powder: the star of the show in making sfouf.
• Full cream milk powder: To add depth of flavor, you can omit it and use liquid milk instead of water.
• Baking powder: The leavening agent.
• Water/  milk if you skipped the milk powder

More flavor combinations: Build your own flavor, keep it plain or play around with the batter!

• Add chocolate chips: Use milk or dark chocolate chips
• Dried Fruits: Add chopped dates/ dried apricots/ cranberries/ and craisins.
• Add diced fresh pear and ginger, the two flavors match well together.
• Fill with Nutella or jam: Put a bit of batter in the bottom of the tulip liner, then add a dab of Nutella or jam, then top with more batter
• Add anise seeds to the batter: Toast the anise seeds in a skillet over medium heat for about 40 seconds, until fragrant than add them to the batter for an earthy licorice flavor.
• Add nuts: Before baking, top each muffin with your favorite nuts: pine nuts/ walnuts/ almonds.
• Add a crumble topping fo crunchier muffins, check the recipe below.

Sfouf Muffins

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Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 25 minutes minutes

Course

Dessert

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Snack

Cuisine

Lebanese

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Description

Sfouf is traditionally made as a sheet cake but these muffins have the same terrific flavor with turmeric. They are easy to make and delicious served warm or at room temperature. If you like sfouf, you'll probably like these too. They make a neat treat for gatherings and get together with friends.

Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ For the classic sfouf muffin:
• ▢ 1 1 /2 cups farina or semolina I have tested with both and the result is great in both
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 cup sunflower oil
• ▢ 1 3/4 cups sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 2 1/2 full cream milk powder
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups water
• ▢ Add Nutella and bananas to the classic sfouf
• ▢ 1/2 cup Nutella,
• ▢ 1 bananas sliced
• ▢ Add apples and raisins to the classic sfouf
• ▢ 1/3 cup raisins
• ▢ 2 apples diced
• ▢ For the crumble topping (to add it to the sfouf apple muffins)
• ▢ ½   cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ⅓  cup  granulated sugar
• ▢ 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly melted

Instructions

 

To make the classic sfouf muffins:

• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F with a rack in the center.
• In a large bowl, mix together all-purpose flour, farina, sugar, turmeric powder, milk powder and baking powder. Mix well to homogenize the ingredients together. Add the sunflower oil and water and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to infuse the wet ingredients with the dry ones until you obtain a yellow batter of one texture.
• Insert the tulip liners into a muffin pan, using a spoon divide the batter among the prepared muffin pan, filling 2/3 of the tulip liners.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (I am using large tulip liners, if you will be using smaller cupcake liners, then you need less time than the mentioned. Remove from the oven and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.
  
• To make the Nutella banana sfouf muffin: prepare the sfouf batter, just the way you prepared it above. Insert the tulip liners into a muffin pan, spoon 2 tablespoons of the batter into each prepared tulip liner. Place 2 thin slices of bananas followed by 1 teaspoon of Nutella on each portion of batter. Spoon in the remaining batter, filling 2/3 of the tulip liners. Bake in a preheated oven 180°C/350°F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (I am using large tulip liners, if you will be using smaller cupcake liners, then you need less time than the mentioned.
  
• To make the apple raisin sfouf muffins: Prepare the sfouf batter, just the way you prepared it the classic sfouf. Peel two apples and dice them into cubes, add to the batter and stir in the raisins, mix well with a wooden spoon and insert the tulip liners into a muffin pan, using a spoon divide the batter among the prepared  muffin pan, filling 2/3 of the tulip liners.
  
• To make the crumble topping: In a small bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Slowly add the butter into the bowl while stirring the crumbs with a fork or your hands Do not over-mix.
• Spread evenly across the muffins and bake in a preheated oven 180°C/350°F for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (I am using large tulip liners, if you will be using smaller cupcake liners, then you need less time than the mentioned.
  

Video

Notes

Note 1: Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature, even for an eggless batter, it is preferable to use room temperature ingredients, as they are easier to work with.

Note 2- Don’t overmix the batter. You just need to infuse the ingredients together. Semolina flour has a high gluten content, overmixing will yield a tough muffin.

Note 3 - sfouf is eggless by nature, you can use plain nondairy milk like almond milk to keep the muffins vegan.

Note 4- If you want to make mini muffins, rather than large ones, decrease the baking time.

Keyword muffins, semolina, turmeric powder

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