Revani (Turkish Semolina Syrup Cake)

Name: Revani (Turkish Semolina Syrup Cake)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients: 200 g fine semolina; 100 g all-purpose flour; 200 g granulated sugar; 250 g plain yogurt; 100 g unsalted butter; 3 piece large eggs; 10 g baking powder; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 piece lemon; 300 g granulated sugar; 300 ml water; 15 ml fresh lemon juice; 30 g pistachios; 20 g desiccated coconut; 2 pinch salt

A home-style Turkish semolina cake that's tender and fragrant with lemon, then soaked in a simple syrup so each slice is moist and slightly sticky — a comforting, everyday dessert.

AI image

1 hr 5 min

start to finish

20 min

hands on

Some skill

difficulty

servings

8 servings

Ingredients

For the cake

200 g fine semolinaabout 1 1/4 cups
100 g all-purpose flourabout 3/4 cup
200 g granulated sugarabout 1 cup
250 g plain yogurtpreferably whole-milk; about 1 cup
100 g unsalted buttermelted and slightly cooled
3 piece large eggsroom temperature
10 g baking powderabout 2 tsp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 piece lemonzest only (thinly grated)

For the syrup

300 g granulated sugarabout 1 1/3 cups
300 ml waterabout 1 1/4 cups
15 ml fresh lemon juiceabout 1 tbsp

To finish

30 g pistachiosfinely chopped, for sprinkling(optional)
20 g desiccated coconutfor sprinkling if not using nuts(optional)

2 pinch salta small pinch in the batter

Contains gluten, dairy, egg. Cooking for an allergy? Check the label on every packet you use — brands differ, and we can only tell you what the recipe calls for.

Roughly, per serving

520 kcal7g protein73g carbs22g fat

An estimate, not a lab analysis.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 23 cm (9-inch) round or 20x25 cm (8x10) rectangular baking pan and line the bottom with parchment.
Separate the eggs into yolks and whites into two bowls.
Whisk the egg yolks with 100 g of the sugar (about half) until the mixture is pale and slightly thickened, then stir in the yogurt, melted butter, vanilla and lemon zest.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with the remaining 100 g sugar and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form.
Fold the semolina and flour into the yolk mixture, then sprinkle in the baking powder and fold until combined.
Gently fold one-third of the whipped egg whites into the semolina batter to loosen it, then fold in the remaining whites carefully so you keep some air.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and score the surface into 8 equal pieces with a knife (this makes cutting easier after baking).
Bake until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean or with few moist crumbs, about 30–35 minutes.
While the cake bakes, make the syrup: combine water and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then simmer until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is slightly thickened, about 8–10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let the syrup cool until just warm.
When the cake is out of the oven, immediately pour the warm syrup evenly over the hot cake (the cake should be hot; syrup warm). Pour slowly so the syrup soaks in without pooling.
Let the cake rest at room temperature for at least 15–20 minutes so it absorbs the syrup; longer (30–60 minutes) yields a moister result. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Before serving, sprinkle with chopped pistachios or desiccated coconut if using, and cut along the previously scored lines into pieces.
If you prefer a more intense citrus note, add a little extra lemon zest to the batter or 1 tsp of orange blossom water to the syrup.

Worth knowing

Use fine semolina for a smoother crumb; coarser semolina will make the texture more granular but still delicious.
Syrup temperature matters: hot syrup on hot cake will soak in faster; warm syrup on hot cake is safest to avoid soggy puddles.
Revani improves if left a few hours or overnight in the fridge, covered — the syrup evens out and the flavor deepens.
If you don't have yogurt, use 200 g sour cream or dilute 60 g Greek yogurt with 50 ml milk as a substitute.

Make it yours

Cooking without dairy, without an oven, for someone who won't touch chilli, or for six instead of four? Have the recipe rewritten around it — quantities, steps and all.

VegetarianBudget

Watch someone make it

A different recipe for the same dish, by a cook who has spent years on it.

Annemin Portakallı Kek Tarifi 🍊Çok Kolay, Çok Lezzetli Revani Gibi Islak Kek 🍰 Kış KekiRefika'nın Mutfağı

More Turkish cooking

An original Restaurant Pro recipe — our own composition in the idiom of Turkish cooking, not any restaurant's recipe. Written to be vegetarian as listed.