To say that sfouf is my favorite food of all time would be one of the least exaggerated things I’ve ever said—because it’s true. I enjoy all kinds of sweets, but this is the one that wraps up comfort and nostalgia for me in every bite. There’s nothing that screams childhood more than sfouf!
This Lebanese yellow sheet cake was always a major part of any family gathering. Some of my favorite memories are tied to those afternoons at my granny’s house, chatting, laughing, and eating with my sisters and cousins.
Granny, or Teta Roro as we used to call her, would place the sfouf bars on her vintage china plate, patterned with Romeo and Juliet, which she reserved for special occasions. It was part of an extensive set that included an assortment of serving dishes and delicate teacups. She would often branch out with other desserts, too, such as rice pudding, meghli, namoura, mouhalabieh, and many other sweets she made so often.
It amazes me how deeply food can become embedded in our happiest memories. I hope this sfouf recipe brings you and your loved ones the same joy with every bite.
Any occasion feels more celebratory with this yellow Lebanese sheet cake, called sfouf. It’s the kind typically brought to gatherings in Lebanon and served with a cup of coffee or tea—flavorful and fragrant enough to enjoy plain.
Ratio of Flour to Semolina!
One of my first arguments with my husband, thirty years ago, was about sfouf. “These are not the typical sfouf sold in sweet shops in Lebanon,” he said, pointing disdainfully at the sfouf I had made back then. “They should be a bit dense and have a yellow color, rather than that striking orange interior.”
Even today, there is an ongoing debate in Lebanon about the ideal ratio of flour to semolina when making sfouf. If your goal is a fluffy sfouf, you can use equal amounts of flour and semolina. But, to tell the truth, my husband was right: authentic sfouf should be tender but slightly dense, with a firm, cakey texture, just like the ones we grew up eating in Beirut. You shouldn’t end up with a fluffy cake.
Through trial and error, I came up with two favorite versions that I’ve held on to because both work beautifully. One appears in my cookbook, and the other I’m graciously sharing with you in today’s post!
It’s a one-bowl recipe that comes together quickly, requires just a few ingredients, and takes less than an hour from start to finish. It’s also pretty foolproof: simply mix all the ingredients together, pour the batter into a cake pan, and bake.
I make it often—for fancy dinner parties or afternoon snacking, birthdays or brunches.
Grease Your Cake Pan with Tahini
Greasing your cake pan with tahini not only prevents the sfouf from sticking while it bakes, but also adds a delicious flavor. Brush tahini all over the surface of the pan, making sure no part of the inside is left ungreased.
If tahini isn’t available, you can simply grease the pan with a little butter!
Ingredients Needed to Make Sfouf
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All-purpose flour: Suitable for creating the tender, dense texture of sfouf.
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Farina: A milled cereal grain, usually made from wheat and consisting mainly of the inner part of the wheat kernel, called the endosperm. If you can’t find farina, fine semolina works beautifully as a substitute.
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Turmeric: A terrific addition for both flavor and color—and I don’t need to explain the many health benefits of turmeric!
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Sugar: Use granulated sugar.
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Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil, such as sunflower or canola oil.
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Butter: A knob of butter adds extra richness and flavor.
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Baking powder: The leavening agent that helps the batter expand. As you may have noticed, this is an eggless cake.
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Milk: The liquid ingredient that brings the batter together.
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Pine nuts: Or use your favorite nuts, such as blanched almonds or cashews.
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Powdered milk: This is the secret ingredient that adds an amazing depth of flavor to sfouf. The fat and lactose in powdered milk help tenderize the cake, making it softer and silkier while still maintaining its characteristic dense texture. It also helps the crust develop deeper caramelization.
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Tahini: Used to grease the cake pan before adding the sfouf batter.
The Secret Ingredient
Milk powder has an amazing way of adding terrific flavor to sfouf. The fat and lactose in milk powder help tenderize it, making it softer, silkier, yet denser, while also giving the crust more caramelization.
How to Veganize Sfouf
Sfouf can easily be tweaked to suit people following a vegan diet. It is common practice in Lebanon to veganize sfouf, especially during Lent. Since it is an eggless cake by nature, all you have to do is eliminate the butter and add a little more canola or sunflower oil.
As for the milk, there are many plant-based alternatives that work well. I once tested it with almond milk, and I would say the result was quite satisfying!
Tips and Tricks
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Try to get your hands on the freshest turmeric you can find. It is the strong supporting player in sfouf, if not the main attraction.
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I recommend using an aluminum baking sheet to make sfouf, as it conducts heat more efficiently. This helps prevent an undercooked center and a burnt bottom.
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You get the most tender sfouf when you beat the batter as little as possible.
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Use an offset spatula to make sure your sfouf batter is spread in an even layer.
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Before baking, randomly dress the sfouf with pine nuts, shaved almonds, cashews, or even walnuts. They add character to the cake. If nuts aren’t your favorite, sesame seeds are another option—or simply leave them out!
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Keep an eye on the sfouf as it bakes. You should end up with a beautiful golden-brown color and a tester that comes out clean when inserted deep into the center.
Sfouf Muffins: Discover the terrific hybrid sfouf muffin, bringing together two worlds: the classic muffin and the traditional Lebanese turmeric cake known as sfouf.
Reviews on Facebook:
Evonne Kalafatas: I made this the other week. DELICIOUS. All the way from Sydney, AUSTRALIA.
Glam-ma Nihal: A delicious Sfouf, thanks to Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine.
My family likes extra almonds lol.
Lyia Shamoon: My Sfouf cake made from your amazing recipe. The ingredients are beautiful. Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine.
Cynthia A. Azzam: This was an easier recipe than what I had seen before. Thank you so much for this. I had all the ingredients, and I used almonds and pistachios instead of pine seeds. The only problem is that I ate the whole thing by myself, and I don’t even feel bad about it.
Hicham Elamil: Hands down, the best Sfouf recipe out there. I made it 3 times in the last 10 days, and it was delicious each and every time. Thank you, Hadia.
Adina Popescu: Hadia’s Lebanese Cuisine, thank you for another successful and very tasty recipe!
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Sfouf, Lebanese Turmeric Cake
Description
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup farina or fine semolina
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup oil
- 1 tablespoon butter omit for a vegan option and add a little more oil
- 1 level tablespoon turmeric powder
- 1 ¼ cups milk or almond milk use almond milk for a vegan option
- 2 tablespoons full-cream powdered milk optional but highly recommended (omit for a vegan option)
- 4 tablespoons tahini for greasing the baking sheet
- ⅓ cup pine nuts or your favorite nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a rack in the center of the oven.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, farina, turmeric powder, milk powder (if using), and baking powder.
- In a separate bowl, dissolve the sugar in the milk. Add the oil and melted butter, and stir to combine.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring well until you have a smooth, evenly colored yellow batter.
- Grease a 12-inch (30 cm) round baking pan generously with tahini.
- Pour the sfouf batter into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even layer.
- Scatter the pine nuts evenly over the surface of the batter.
- Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden brown. Keep a close eye on the sfouf toward the end of the baking time, as ovens vary.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into medium-sized squares or diamond shapes and serve.
Video
Notes
Another Lebanese sheet cake worth learning: Namoura—square portions of a single-layer, dense semolina cake drenched in sugar syrup. Talk about buttery, melt-in-your-mouth, sweet madness!
8 Comments
There appears to be a typo for the amount of sugar in the recipe. Is it 1 3/4 cup? That seems a lot?
Thank you for the excellent recipe, very easy to make. I have been wanting to make your sfouf ever since you post it. I thought it was impossible to get the bakery style sfouf at home, but your recipe changed that, my family enjoyed so much. Thank you Hadia.
That’s great to hear Sarah, it is a great recipe, I am happy that you tried and loved, xoxo
Is it one table spoon of turmeric powder. Can I make it one tea spoon. Wont it over power the taste.
Not familiar with full cream powdered milk, can I use cream and how much
Patricia, you can skip the powdered milk, I have not tested with heavy cream.