revani (turkish semolina cake).

in lieu of a gushing apology for my disappearance during the month of april, i'll cut straight to the good stuff: 

cake!

i wish i had more culturally illuminative information to report about this cake other than that it's delicious. two years ago, i spent a month living in istanbul, where i overindulged on sweets of all sorts. baklava was a favorite, but assorted cookies, pastries, and tarts were just as common fixes. my turkish course was conveniently located above a bakery, where insanely cheap, sugary tea and equally fructose-y snacks helped get me through some headache-inducing classes.

while one of the first things i did after returning from turkey was figure out how to make baklava, i've haven't been so ambitious with any other recipes. until now. revani is made from combining equal parts flour and semolina. the final - and essential - step after baking is pouring a simple sugar syrup on it and letting it absorb for a few hours, refrigerated. the result: a modest, sweet sponge cake. perfect for breakfast or a mid-morning/afternoon/midnight snack.

revani (turkish semolina cake)

from fahriye’s kitchen

2 cups sugar

3 cups water

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups fine semolina

2 tsp baking powder

3 eggs, whisked

2 cups caster sugar

2 cups plain yogurt

1/2 cup oil

preheat the oven to 340F.

start by making the syrup. bring the water and sugar to boil. let simmer for 15 minutes. add the lemon juice and set aside to cool.

combine the flour, baking powder and semolina. set aside. whisk sugar with the eggs until it is slightly foamy. add in the yogurt, butter and whisk together. fold in the flour mixture.

pour the entire mixture into a greased baking tin and spread out evenly.

bake the cake for 35- 40 minutes or until it is slightly brown on top. remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. then cut it into squares or diamond shaped slices. pour the cool syrup over the hot cake and let all the syrup soak into the cake.

place it in the fridge for 2-4 hours. serve chilled.