Maysa Haj Yunes, 35, lost her husband to a heart attack in Aleppo years ago. At the time, he was a doctor and she was a teacher in a kindergarten.
When the conflict in Syria started, Maysa found herself alone with her three sons and displaced from her home into a camp inside Syria. With living conditions deteriorating, she decided to cross the border into Turkey.
Maysa struggled at first because she doesn’t speak Turkish, but she is trying to learn the language and has found support through welcoming neighbours. Her sons, Ubada, 11, Ubaie, 10, and Tamim, 9, are registered in a Syrian temporary school to complete their education.
The family’s favourite cake is a soft sponge covered with chocolate.
INGREDIENTS:
- 10 medium sized eggs
- 3 cups of flour
- 10 gr of baking powder
- Vanilla sugar
- 1 cup of white sugar
- 1 cup of powdered sugar
- 1.5 cup milk
- 1 cup corn oil
- 1 spoon of lemon zest + 1 spoon of vinegar
- Pinch of salt
RECIPE:
Separate the eggs.
To the yolk, add the regular sugar, lemon zest, then mix in the milk, and add the oil, the vanilla, then the vinegar, and mix in the flour.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until creamy. Add the powdered sugar, while beating.
Add the mix of egg whites to the first mix and fold in gently, until totally incorporated. Bake at 180 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.
Maysa, who tried to find a job in Turkey, has a lot on her plate as she is the sole caretaker of her children.
Her brother in law, who lives in Saudi Arabia, supports her by sending money for the boys’ education. Her dream is to have her own pastry shop, and share her baking skills with her customers.
Read more about CARE's work in Turkey.