Safa Ibrahim, a Druze cook from the Golan Heights, comes from a family deeply rooted in Syria. Her hareesa cake, filled with qashta (or ashta—both pronunciations are correct), carries this heritage. The cream filling is a rich and thick milk-based cream traditionally made in Syria and other Levantine countries using raw milk. In her version, Safa recreates the texture of qashta with a mixture of milk, cornstarch, and heavy cream, flavored with rose water. The result is a malabi-like taste.
Ingredients
Ingredients
For the hareesa:
3 tablespoons raw tahini or samneh (clarified butter), for greasing
2 cups (400 grams) coarse semolina
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
1 tablespoon (10 grams) vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon (10 grams) baking powder
1 cup yogurt
½ cup (100 grams) corn orsunflower oil
⅓ cup samneh or clarified butter, at room temperature
For the qashta cream:
1 cup (200 ml) milk
½ cup (100 grams) sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
½ teaspoon rose water
½ teaspoon citrus blossom water
For the syrup:
2 cups (400 grams) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) water
½ teaspoon citrus blossom water
1 teaspoon rose water
1 lemon, juiced (5 tablespoons)
To serve:
Ground pistachios or desiccated coconut
Preparation
- Prepare the syrup: Place all of the syrup ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer over high heat for 3–5 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Prepare the Hareesa cake: Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Grease the baking tray with tahini or samneh (clarified butter).
- In a bowl, combine the oil and yogurt. In a separate bowl, mix the semolina, sugar, vanilla sugar, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and firm to the touch in the center, about 20 minutes.
- Reserve ½ cup of syrup for decoration. From the remaining syrup, pour two-thirds evenly over the warm cake and let rest for 5 minutes; if more syrup is needed, add it until the hareesa is juicy and fully saturated.
- Brush the surface of the cake with samneh using a pastry brush.
- Place a round tray on top of the cake and invert it (similar to maqluba). Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to help the qashta cream adhere to the surface.
- Prepare the Qashta Cream: Meanwhile, mix the milk, sugar, cornstarch, and heavy cream in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon, until thickened. Remove from the heat and flavor with citrus blossom and rose water.
- Using the reserved cold syrup, mark a 1-cm (½-inch) wide border around the edges of the cake to prevent the qashta cream from spilling over. Decorate the sticky border with ground pistachios, desiccated coconut, or other preferred toppings. Gradually spoon the qashta cream into the center of the cake, filling it completely.
- Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes before serving. The Hareesa can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
