Laiik Makes Greek Food: Revani
This month, we're making our first ever Kalo Mina Greek dessert. Revani, aka Basbousa, aka Semolina cake, is a dessert that spans Greece, Turkey, the Near East and some parts of North Africa. It has an interesting, and disputed origin story and a delicious citrus-y flavor and syrupy texture.
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 2 hours
Portions: 8-10
Ingredients
For the Syrup
- 650 grams sugar
- 600 ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Orange peel (from 2 oranges)
- 50ml brandy
For the cake
- 200 grams sugar
- 3 eggs
- 170 grams flour
- Orange zest from two oranges
- 2 grams vanilla powder
- 20 grams baking powder
- 40 grams fine semolina
- Pinch of salt
- 200 grams Greek strained yoghurt
- Butter for the baking pan
- Semolina for the baking pan
Execution
Syrup Preparation
- In a pot, add the water, sugar, orange peels, and bring to a boil
- Remove off heat as soon as it comes to a boil
- Add the brandy
- Allow to cool.
Tip: The syrup will be better absorbed if cold, when added to the warm cake
Cake Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 170 deg Celsius, set to fan
- In a bowl, add the sugar and eggs, and beat with a whisk at high speed, for 5-6 minutes, until fluffy
- In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, vanilla, semolina, and salt. Mix well.
- Transfer the dry mix to the bowl with the wet mix.
- Add orange zest from two oranges and the Greek strained yogurt.
- Briefly mix everything with a whisk or spoon.
- Butter a 32x25cm baking pan ← keep the size close to this for the recipe to succeed!
- Sprinkle Semolina over the buttered pan, and allow to cover the surface area
- Evenly spread the mixture in the baking pan, and cook for 30 minutes
- Pour the cooled syrup over the warm cake with a ladle
- Set aside for an hour until the syrup is absorbed
Serving
Serve with ground pistachio and Kaimaki (mastic flavoured) ice cream.
Vanilla ice cream as an alternative.
