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Turkish

Revani (Turkish Semolina Syrup Cake)

A Turkish semolina yogurt cake soaked with lemon syrup until moist, tender, and fragrant.

Published and reviewed by Kitchgrow on 7 September 2026Updated

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Revani (Turkish Semolina Syrup Cake)

1 hr 55 mintotal

55 min hands-on1 hr hands-off

Prep 20 min · Cook 35 min

Serves
6
Difficulty
Medium
Spice
None
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Ingredients

Quantities are for 6 servings.

You'll need: Oven, Stovetop.

Includes 60 minutes for the cake to absorb syrup and cool.

Method

  1. Make the syrup first. Simmer part of the sugar with water and part of the lemon juice until slightly thick, then cool it.

  2. Preheat the oven and grease a small baking dish.

  3. Whisk eggs and remaining sugar until pale and slightly thick.

  4. Add curd, sunflower oil, and remaining lemon juice, then mix until smooth.

  5. Fold in semolina, all-purpose flour, and baking powder until just combined.

  6. Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

  7. Pour the cooled syrup over the hot cake slowly so it absorbs evenly.

  8. Rest until the cake absorbs the syrup, then garnish with pistachios and serve.

How to tell it's done

The cake should be moist and syrup-soaked but still slice cleanly without collapsing.

Getting it right

Tip

Use cooled syrup on the hot cake; this helps the cake absorb syrup without becoming gummy.

What to serve it with

Serve in small squares with Turkish tea, coffee, or a light fruit plate.

Common mistakes

The syrup pools at the bottom instead of soaking in.
Cool syrup onto hot cake, as the recipe has it — never the other way round, and never both hot. Matched temperatures is the single rule of semolina syrup cakes, and getting it wrong leaves a wet base and a dry top.
The cake is dense and heavy.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until genuinely pale and thick before anything else goes in. That air is the only lift semolina gets beyond the baking powder.

Substitutions

  • Fine semolina gives a softer cake, while medium semolina gives more texture.
  • Neutral oil keeps the sponge light; avoid strongly flavored oils.
  • Pistachios can be replaced with almonds if needed, but pistachio is visually classic.

Storing and reheating

Keeps four days covered at room temperature and improves overnight as the syrup distributes. Do not refrigerate — the syrup crystallises and the semolina goes hard. It freezes for two months.