Top 7 African Cakes

Mbesses is an Algerian sweet cake that is made with a combination of semolina or farina and eggs as the key ingredients. Apart from those, this cake consists of milk, yeast, sugar, honey, butter, and just a pinch of salt. It is typically garnished with pistachios and almonds, then drizzled with a sweet syrup made with sugar, honey, water, orange juice, and rose essence. It is recommended to wait one hour after the cake has been baked, and then serve it.Expand

Basbousa is a traditional Arabian semolina-based cake that is soaked in syrup, then studded with almonds. This Libyan variety includes desiccated coconut in the cake mixture and date-paste that is sandwiched between the two layers of semolina cake. The cake is made with semolina, regular flour, desiccated coconut, sugar, butter, milk, date-paste, and baking powder. It is typically flavored with cinnamon. Libyans enjoy their basbousa bil tamr with qashta cream, and pair it with Arabic cardamom coffee on the side.Expand

Meskouta is a traditional cake originating from Morocco. This orange and almond cake is made with a combination of almonds, eggs, sugar, honey, orange juice, lemon juice, orange flower water, oil, flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Once prepared, the batter is poured into a pan and baked until golden. This cake is traditionally prepared in the winter, when oranges ripen. It's often accompanied by hot mint tea or coffee on the side.Expand

Bolo Polana is a traditional cashew and potato cake originating from Mozambique. It's made with a combination of mashed potatoes, ground cashews, eggs, orange zest, lemon zest, vanilla essence, sugar, and butter. The egg whites are folded into the batter, and the cake is then baked until golden brown. If properly prepared, bolo Polana should have a rich and nutty flavor. This cake is often made for special occasions and it's named after Polana, the suburb of Maputo (Mozambique's capital city). If desired, the cake can be garnished with a few roasted cashew nuts.Expand

Godrogodro is a traditional cake originating from Madagascar. Although there are some variations, the cake is usually made with a combination of rice flour, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and oil. In order to prepare the cake, caramel is first made, and it’s mixed with coconut milk. The mixture is heated over low heat, and the nutmeg, vanilla, and cinnamon are mixed into the pot along with rice flour. Once the mixture becomes slightly thick, it’s poured into a greased baking tray and baked in the oven for about half an hour. Godrogodro is left to cool down a bit, and it’s then cut into slices and served. In the past, Malagasy didn’t have ovens, so they baked the cake over charcoal in a cocotte pot.Expand

Chikenduza is a traditional African dessert hailing from Zimbabwe. These candy cakes are made with a combination of flour, butter, vanilla, milk, sugar, yeast, eggs, salt, powdered sugar, and red food coloring. The dough is rolled into balls and baked in muffin tins or similar baking vessels until puffed. Once done, these candy cakes should be double the size of a muffin. The cooled cakes are topped with a thick pink icing made from powdered sugar, water, and food coloring.Expand

Baseema is a traditional cake made with eggs, yogurt, baking powder, flour, shredded coconut, oil, and vanilla extract. The mixture is typically spread into a wide pan, then baked. The cake is then glazed with a combination of granulated sugar, lemon juice, and water. When served, baseema is usually cut into squares. The name of this fluffy golden cake means delicious, and it’s easy to see why.Expand