Revani (Semolina Sponge in Syrup)
A light, golden semolina sponge soaked in lemon syrup until every crumb is moist — revani is the effortless Turkish traybake that tastes even better the next day.
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Ingredients
4 medium eggs, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
150g natural yogurt
100ml sunflower oil
200g fine semolina
100g plain flour
10g (1 sachet) baking powder
5g (1 sachet) vanilla sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
400g granulated sugar, for the syrup
400ml water, for the syrup
1 tbsp lemon juice, for the syrup
3 tbsp ground pistachios, to decorate
Instructions
- 1
Start with the syrup: boil the sugar and water for 10 minutes, add the lemon juice, boil 2 minutes more, then leave to cool completely.
- 2
Heat the oven to 175C (fan 160C) and grease a roughly 25x30cm baking tin or line it with baking paper.
- 3
Whisk the eggs and caster sugar for 3-4 minutes until pale, creamy and doubled in volume — an electric whisk makes this easy.
- 4
Whisk in the yogurt, sunflower oil and lemon zest until smooth.
- 5
Fold in the semolina, flour, baking powder and vanilla sugar just until no dry streaks remain; do not overmix.
- 6
Pour the batter into the tin, level the top and bake for 30-35 minutes until deep golden and a skewer comes out clean.
- 7
Ladle the cooled syrup slowly and evenly over the hot cake in two or three stages, letting each addition soak in.
- 8
Cover loosely and rest for at least 1 hour (ideally 2-3), then cut into squares or diamonds, sprinkle with ground pistachios and serve.
Revani has been made in Turkish kitchens since Ottoman times, and it survives for a simple reason: it is nearly impossible to get wrong. Semolina gives the sponge its gentle, slightly sandy bite, yogurt keeps it tender, and a lemony syrup poured over the whole tray does the rest. Unlike a Victoria sponge, revani actually improves as it sits — the syrup settles in and the texture turns silky.
The golden rule of all Turkish syrup desserts applies here: hot meets cold. Either pour cool syrup over the hot cake or cooled cake with hot syrup — never hot on hot, or the sponge collapses into mush. Take your time ladling it over in stages so the cake drinks it evenly rather than pooling at the bottom.
In a UK kitchen everything is straightforward: fine semolina, plain flour, natural yogurt and sunflower oil, all of which you can order from Turkish Online Market in one basket. Cut it into squares or diamonds, top each piece with ground pistachios or a little clotted cream, and serve with a glass of freshly brewed Turkish tea — revani and çay are inseparable.
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