Sfouf (Turmeric Cake)
Updated Mar 17, 2026
Sfouf is a Middle Eastern semolina turmeric cake, made with simple ingredients, no eggs and no butter. It's vegan-friendly, and quick to make
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Lebanese Turmeric Cake
Sfouf is an arabic word that means lines, and because this Lebanese Turmeric Cake is cut into lines, it became known as Sfouf. I learned how to make this semolina-based turmeric yellow cake from my mom because it was her go-to recipe whenever visitors were coming to our house with short notice. She can whisk the ingredients together in 5 minutes and then bake it in 30 minutes. It’s that simple and just needs a few ingredients!
Happy Baking!
– Yumna
Sfouf Ingredients
- Dry ingredients: All-purposed flour, semolina and baking powder. You can play around with the ratio of the semolina and all-purpose flour but I like a 3:1 ratio of semolina to flour for a more coarse texture. Make sure to use fine semolina, which is what’s used to make pasta.
- Wet ingredients: Granulated sugar, milk and a neutral oil
- Tahini: A unique step about this sfouf recipe is how we coat the pan. Instead of just using cooking spray or oil, we use tahini. This serves two purposes: first it coats the pan with something oily so the batter doesn’t stick to the pan. And second, it gives the cake a nutty flavor that is pretty iconic of the cake.
- Pine Nuts: The cake is topped with pine nuts for decorative purposes but also to give it a nutty crunch. You can use silvered almonds – just make sure they are raw since they will be getting roasted in the oven.
How to Make Sfouf
Bake until the top is set and lightly golden and the nuts are lightly golden.
RECIPE VIDEO TUTORIAL
I recently retested the sfouf recipe and preferred baking it at 350°F instead of 375°F like shown in this video. Both temps are fine though and you just need to pay attention to the doneness cues: toothpick comes out clean, edges pull away from pan and the pine nuts start to become golden.
Sfouf (Turmeric Cake)
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 ½ cups fine semolina flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup neutral oil (like avocado oil or vegetable oil)
- ¼ cup pine nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×9-inch baking pan with the tahini.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the semolina, flour, turmeric, and baking powder.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, milk and oil until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is well blended.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until smooth and bright yellow. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the pine nuts over the top.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until the top is set and lightly golden and the nuts are lightly golden but not brown.
- Cool completely on a wire rack, then cut into 16 squares or diamond shapes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Whisk the wet ingredients well. Since the sugar gets mixed right into the milk and oil, it helps to whisk until it looks well blended so the batter bakes up evenly.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear and the batter looks smooth. Overmixing can make the cake more dense than it should be.
- Watch the pine nuts closely. The sfouf should look set and lightly golden on top, but the pine nuts can go from golden to too dark fast near the end of baking.
FAQs
Sfouf can turn out dry if it’s overbaked or if the flour and semolina were measured too heavily. Try spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off, and pull the cake out as soon as the top is set and lightly golden.
If the batter is a little thin or the pine nuts are pressed down too much, they can sink as the cake bakes. Try sprinkling them gently over the top without pressing them in, and make sure the batter is mixed well so it has some body before it goes into the pan.
Comments
What can I use instead of sugar? Trying to keep it low sugar for my parents
Hi! I recommend reducing the sugar rather than replacing it completely, since the sugar also helps with the texture of the sfouf. You can try ¾ cup sugar instead of 1 cup and it should still bake up nicely, just a little less sweet. I haven’t tested this recipe with a sugar substitute, so I can’t say for sure how a cup-for-cup alternative would affect the texture or browning.
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