"Revani" English

Elenas wishes you a sweet week with a traditional Greek dessert!

“Revani”, refers to a tasty Greek semolina cake made with syrup. This recipe comes from Veria, a town in mainland Greece which is the best destination to taste an authentic “revani”.

This dessert has been adapted by many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures, including Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Arab cuisine, to name a few. It is called “basbousa” in Arabic and “shamali” in Armenian.

In Greek cuisine, revani is one of the most common desserts, both in restaurants and at home. It is usually served with a full spoon of vanilla ice cream on the side!

Preparation time: 15 min 
Cook time: 45 min
Portions: 6-8 portions (a deep baking pan 40X30 cm)

Ingredients: 

• 5 medium eggs
• 2 glasses* of sugar
• 240gr Greek yogurt 
• 2 glasses* of semolina roughly
• 2 glasses* of flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder 
• 3 tablespoons of Greek extra virgin olive oil

For the syrup:

• 6 glasses* of water
• 6 glasses* of sugar
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks (optional)

* glass = a medium glass of water (220ml)

Process:

 This traditional Greek cake takes only 7 steps to make it and these are:

1. Preheat the oven at 180 C.
   
   
2. Start by preparing the syrup: Add the sugar onto the water in a deep pot and boil for approximately 3-4 minutes. Set aside to cool well.
   
   Tip: Add 1-2 cinnamon sticks, if you wish so.
   
   
3. Mix the eggs with the sugar using a hand mixer until they become very fluffy (4-6 minutes). Add the yogurt and continue stirring.
   
   
4. In a bowl mix the flour, the semolina and the baking powder. Add the flour mix into the hand mixer and stir well.
   
   
5. Lastly, add the olive oil. Spread the mixture into the baking tray and bake the cake for about 45 minutes until it gets a nice golden colour.
   
   
6. Remove from the oven and while the cake is still hot, pour the cold syrup over the cake using a ladle.
   

Wait until your homemade revani is cooled - if you are able to resist!! Serve a generous piece of your Greek dessert along with some ice cream.

Kali oreksi/ Enjoy!