Almond-Semolina Cake Soaked in an Orange Blossom Syrup

Shamali, revani or basbousa is a luscious syrup-soaked almond-semolina cake popular throughout the East Mediterranean. I am sharing my mother’s recipe with origins from our Sephardic ancestors in the island of Rhodes. I love the lightness of the grainy semolina and ground almond cake infused with pine-scented ground mastic moist with the fragrant orange blossom syrup. We like to serve shamali alongside a cup of Greek or Turkish coffee, or a herbal tea. I hope you will be inspired to create this cake. Kome kon gana!