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Revani
Turkish semolina sponge soaked in lemon syrup
Revani is the syrup cake you meet in Turkish pastry shops and on home tea tables, especially at bayram visits, when trays of it are cut into diamonds and handed round with çay. Unlike a dense eggless semolina bake, it is a light, airy sponge of whisked eggs, semolina and a little flour, which drinks in cold lemon syrup straight from the oven until it is moist right through yet still holds a clean cut. It sweetens with sugar syrup rather than icing and is often finished with desiccated coconut or crushed pistachios. Serve it at room temperature or chilled, with tea or a spoon of kaymak or thick cream. Chef's tip: pour cool syrup over the hot cake (or hot over cool), never hot on hot; that contrast lets the sponge soak up syrup without collapsing into mush.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the syrup
For the cake
To finish
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Make the syrup first: put 14 oz sugar, 2 cups water and 2 lemon peel in a saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Boil gently for 10 minutes, add 1 tbsp lemon juice, then take it off the heat, remove the peel and leave to cool completely.
12 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Oil a 23 × 33 cm baking tin.
Step 3: Whisk 4 eggs and 5 ½ oz sugar with an electric mixer on high for 5–6 minutes, until pale, thick and doubled in volume; a ribbon should sit on the surface for a few seconds.
6 minStep 4: Beat in 5 ½ oz plain yogurt, ½ cup sunflower oil and 1 tsp lemon zest on low speed just until combined.
Step 5: Mix 6 ½ oz fine semolina, 3 ⅛ oz plain flour and 2 tsp baking powder, then fold them into the batter with a spatula in two lots, just until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing at this stage knocks out the air and gives a heavy, dense revani, the most common mistake.
2 minStep 6: Pour into the tin, level it and bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden brown, springy in the middle and a skewer comes out clean.
33 minStep 7: As soon as the cake comes out, cut it into diamonds or squares in the tin. Slowly ladle the cooled syrup evenly over the hot cake; it will hiss and seem too much, but it all soaks in.
2 minStep 8: Leave to stand for at least 1 hour, until the syrup is fully absorbed and the cake is cool. Scatter with 3 tbsp desiccated coconut or 2 tbsp pistachios if you like, and serve. It keeps covered for 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does revani take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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