Revani — Turkish semolina cake in citrus syrup

i. Origin & history

The name reportedly comes from the 16th-century poet Revani, a fixture of Ottoman court culture. The cake travelled with Ottoman expansion across the Balkans and the Levant; under different names — basbousa in Egypt, hareesa in Lebanon, ravani in Greece — it is essentially the same recipe.

ii. Ingredients

Makes 20 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 200 g fine semolina
• 100 g plain flour
• 200 g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 250 ml whole milk
• 100 ml neutral oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 300 g sugar
• 300 ml water
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 strip lemon peel

iii. Method

1. Heat oven to 180 °C. Grease a 23 × 33 cm pan.
2. Whisk eggs and sugar 4 min to pale and triple in volume.
3. Whisk in milk, oil, vanilla and zest. Fold in semolina, flour and baking powder.
4. Pour into the pan; bake 30 min until golden and a skewer comes out clean.
5. Simmer syrup ingredients 8 min. Cool.
6. Pour cold syrup over hot cake. Cool fully before cutting into diamonds.

iv. Tips & common mistakes

• Use the freshest ingredients you can. The recipe relies on them.
• Read the method through first. Several steps must be ready in advance.
• Season patiently. Sweetness and salt are tuned at the end, not the start.

v. Variations

Greek ravani may include orange zest and coconut. Turkish revani often adds yoghurt for tang. Pistachio revani folds chopped pistachios into the batter.

vii. More from Middle Eastern

• Basbousa — Egyptian semolina cake
• Galaktoboureko — custard in filo
• Kataifi — shredded-pastry nests
• Kunafa — cheese-filled shredded pastry
• Melomakarona — Greek honey biscuits
• Luqaimat — honey-soaked fritters