Greek Semolina Cake | Revani (Ρεβανί)

Kristin

A fluffy semolina-based cake that is drenched in a lemon soaking syrup. This cake is popular throughout Greece and other Balkan countries, as well as Egypt, Turkey, and the Middle East. Served cold in diamond-shaped pieces, this is a great cake to keep on hand for guests, as it keeps very well in the refrigerator.

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 35

Chilling Time 2

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Greek

Servings 20 servings

Ingredients

Soaking Syrup

600 g sugar 3 cups
600 ml water 2½ cups
6 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
the zest of one lemon

Cake Batter

240 g semolina 1⅓ cups
165 g all-purpose flour 1⅓ cups
2 tsp baking powder
8 large eggs, at room temperature
260 g sugar 1⅓ cups
4 tbsp lukewarm whole milk
2 tsp vanilla extract

Garnish

20 blanched almond halves

Instructions

Making the Soaking Syrup

The rule of thumb with Greek syrup desserts is that one of the items must be cool, and the other must be hot when pouring the syrup over it. We're going to start by making the soaking syrup so that it has enough time to cool down before we pour it over the hot cake. To a medium-sized saucepan, add the sugar and water and stir it over medium to medium-high heat until it dissolves. Then, let the syrup come to a boil, and let it boil for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, pour the syrup into a heat-proof bowl and whisk in the butter until it is fully melted. Then whisk in the lemon juice and zest. Set the mixture aside to cool down to room temperature before using it on the cake. Whisking it periodically will help it to cool faster.

Making the Cake

Whisk together the semolina, flour, and baking powder, and set it aside while you work on the wet ingredients.
To a large bowl, add the eggs and the sugar, and beat on medium speed for 15-20 minutes, or until the mixture becomes pale yellow, voluminous, and thick. You will know it has reached the proper consistency when you can drop batter on the surface and it creates a trace on top of the batter. This is called the trace or ribbon stage.
With the beaters still on, beat in the milk one tablespoon at a time, and then the vanilla extract.
Sift the dry ingredients over the egg mixture in three stages, gently folding it in as you go. I found that using one of the beaters detached from the electric mixer was the perfect tool for mixing it in.
Grease a 9×13" (23×33 cm) rectangular cake pan and sprinkle the butter with semolina to coat the surface of the pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan and smooth the top to make the cake even. If you find that you have pockets of air bubbles in the batter, you can take a toothpick and gently swirl it through the batter. This will release any big pockets of air without deflating the beaten eggs.
Bake in a 350℉ / 180℃ pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until it is golden brown and pulling away from the edges of the pan.
Immediately after removing the cake from the oven, ladle the cooled syrup over the cake. It may look like too much liquid for the cake, but it should absorb it like a sponge. Place the cake into the fridge to completely chill through before slicing into it.

Finishing the Cake

Remove the chilled cake from the refrigerator and slice the cake into diamond-shaped pieces. You can do this by making diagonal slices about 2" (5 cm) apart in one direction, and diagonal slices the same distance apart in the opposite direction. Place a blanched almond half over each slice and serve! This cake keeps for 5-6 days covered in the fridge.

Keyword basbousa, Egyptian semolina cake, Greek semolina cake, Ravani, Revani, Turkish semolina cake, Ρεβανί