Revani Cake

If you love desserts drenched in syrup such as baklava or tolumbi, then you will love this heavenly citrus cake. Semolina (coarsely ground wheat) makes up the base of this cake, and produces a texture that resembles corn bread: soft, dense, and crumbly. The cake is then topped with a fragrant orange spiked simple syrup, which gets soaked up and transforms the cake into a spongey, sweet, citrusy delight. This cake is popular in many Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries.

What stands out

This cake gets its moistness from a generous dose of orange-scented simpl e syrup which is poured over the cake while its hot from the oven, and gets absorbed into all the crumbs. Your kitchen will smell like heaven. A mixture of semolina wheat flour and all-purpose flour give this cake a unique crumbly, spongey cornbread-like texture. This dish has just the right amount of sweetness that it can be enjoyed for dessert, breakfast, or an afternoon pick-us-up.

How to Prepare Revani Cake

Preheat the oven to 345F.

Make the simple syrup: In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine the water, orange juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Let cool.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sugar, and using an electric hand mixer mix until light and fluffy 3 to 5 minutes.

Then add the oil, yogurt, semolina, flour, vanilla, baking powder, and orange zest. Gently combine all the ingredients just until there are no more streaks of flour.

Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan and pour in the batter. Top with thin slices of oranges, if using. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, and while it is still hot pour the cooled syrup all over. Let the cake rest and absorb all the syrup for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!

Kitchen tip

When zesting citrus, use a sharp grater with the smallest holes. A zester or microplane is suited to the job. Be sure to stop grating once you see the pith, the white layer between the peel and the fruit; the pith will taste bitter.

Swaps

1. You can make this a lemon or lime cake by swapping out the citrus. Meyer lemons are a bit sweeter than standard grocery store lemons and would be here.
2. Add chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or almonds.
3. Include shredded coconut or grated carrots for additional texture.
4. Try adding some poppy seeds to the batter.
5. Instead of vanilla extract, you can also try almond extract.

Serve it with

• This Revani Cake is just sweet enough that it can pass for dessert, breakfast, or a mid-day pick-us-up. We recommend enjoying it with a cup of coffee or tea.
• Enjoy this cake as part of a brunch spread, including dishes such as our Cheddar Egg BakeBacon and Custard Yogurt Toast.

Questions

Why are the metric weights of your ingredients different than the results of Google and our kitchen scale?

While 1 cup of flour weighs 130g in our kitchen, it might weigh anywhere from 120 to 145g in your kitchen, and there are a few reasons for that. The weight of ingredients may vary due to the brand of ingredients, the brand and style (wet vs dry) of measuring cups and spoons, and the technique for measuring into cups: scooping and levelling versus spooning the ingredients into the cup measure.

What kind of oil should i use?

Any kind of oil is fine here, though we prefer a neutral oil, such as avocado oil or a neutral-tasting olive oil.

How can i make this Revani Cake gluten-free?

You can try replacing the semolina with corn semolina and the all-purpose flour with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour. Please note the texture will be different.

How can we make this recipe egg-free?

Although we have not tried making this recipe egg-free, you can try experimenting by using a chia egg, flax egg or various vegan alternatives.

How long will this Revani cake last?

You can store the cake in the refrigerator, in a tightly sealed container, for up to 3 days. It may dry out a bit as time goes on.

Ingredients

Makes 10 servings

Orange Simple Syrup

• 2 ½ cups water
• ½ cup orange juice, (from 2 large oranges)
• 1 cup sugar

For the Cake

• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup oil
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cup semolina, (coarse durum wheat, #3 on the package)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• zest of 2 oranges
• 1 orange, thinly sliced (optional)

Equipment

• 9×13 Baking Dish
• Zester
• Measuring Cups + Spoons
• Mixing Bowls
• Hand Mixer

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 345F.
2. First make the simple syrup. In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine the water, orange juice, and sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes until it is the consistency of maple syrup. Remove from the heat and let cool while you work on the cake.
3. In a large bowl, combine the eggs and sugar, and using an electric hand mixer, mix until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Then add the oil, yogurt, semolina, flour, vanilla, baking powder, and orange zest. Using a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, gently combine all the ingredients just until there are no more streaks of flour.
4. Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking pan and pour in the batter. Top with thin slices of oranges, if using. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
5. Remove the cake from the oven and, while it is still hot, pour the cooled syrup all over. Let the cake rest and absorb all the syrup for at least 1 hour before serving. Enjoy!