Greek Ravani / Revani

Hello HTS Community

Toady we are going to make the super amazing dessert from Greece and Turkey, Ravani. Also known as Revani in Turkish, is a traditional Greek dessert which falls under the category of ‘Siropiasta’, which means syrupy Greek desserts. It is an indulging and irresistible semolina cake, soaked in orange syrup. You just can’t have a bite and walk away. I had my first ravani in a restaurant, in the small town of Salerno, Italy. And I was just amazed by the flavor, the aroma, that as soon as I came back from my trip, I just wanted to make it at home.

You will find many variations of this cake, but the most well known ones are orange and coconut based. The secret to this amazing cake is in the syrup, so do not take that lightly.

If you like this recipe, also try Chickpea Salad, Sweet Potato Cakes and Crispy Cheese Balls.

Ingredients you will need:

For the syrup

• Sugar- 1.5 cups
• Water- 1+1/4 cups
• Orange Juice (freshly squeezed)- 1/2 cup
• Zest of an orange

For the cake

• Eggs- 3
• Sugar- 1/2 cup
• Neutral tasting oil- 1/2 cup
• Curd- 1/2 cup
• Milk- 1/2 cup
• Semolina- 1 cup
• All purpose flour- 1 cup
• Baking powder- 1.5 tablespoon
• Vanilla extract- 1 tablespoon
• Orange Zest- 1 tablespoon
• Salt- a pinch
• Pistachios and coconut flakes- for garnish

Egg substitute:

For each whole egg used, you can substitute it with one of the following:

• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed+ 2 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup yogurt

Steps to make Greek Ravani:

• Pre-heat the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes, and grease a 12×9 inch cake tin with butter and coat with a layer of all purpose flour. Using a parchment paper is not advisable for this cake, as we have to pour syrup as soon as we take the cake out of oven.
• To make the syrup, in a pot heat together water and sugar. After a minute, add the orange juice and zest, bring to a boil and keep aside to cool down.

• For the cake, whisk together orange zest, eggs, oil and sugar until creamy and well mixed.
• Add vanilla extract, curd and milk and combine well. To this, just add the rest of the ingredients and pour the batter in a baking tin.

• Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes at 170 degree Celsius, until golden and cooked through.
• As soon as you take the cake out, poke holes on the top with 1 inch distance, and pour the cooled orange syrup over while the cake is still hot. Pour the syrup gently and evenly, do not pour all at once, otherwise your cake will become soggy and break apart.

• Let the cake cool down for an hour or two, and then garnish with chopped pistachios and coconut flakes. Cover the baking tin with a cling wrap and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. I know you would just want to dig in, but trust me, the flavour elevates to a different level when it has chilled all the way through.