• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Give Recipe logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Desserts » Revani Recipe

    Published: Mar 9, 2021 by Zerrin & Yusuf

    Revani Recipe

    Jump to Recipe

    Revani is a classic Turkish semolina cake that is drenched in a simple lemony syrup and topped with desiccated coconut flakes. It boasts of refreshing lemon flavor and moist texture. It tastes so good that everyone will ask for more.

    Revani sliced and garnished with coconut flakes on a black plate.

    Semolina is just another staple ingredient in Turkish desserts. We use it in sweets like sekerpare, semolina halva and tulumba dessert.

    And revani is one of these sweets with semolina. If you love syrup soaked desserts like world-wide famous kunafa or walnut baklava, you should give this cake a try. It is waaaay easier to make!

    What takes this cake to a whole new level is the addition of the sugar syrup. It adds a ton of delicious sweet lemon flavor and changes the texture from dry and dense, to soft and juicy. This recipe is a must-try – you won't regret it!

    Today we will discuss this delicious revani recipe and all of its components. We will have a look at what it is, the ingredients used, how to make traditional semolina cakes, and give you some tips and tricks we wished we knew earlier! We will also mention some delicious variations for this recipe.

    Jump to:
    • What is revani (semolina cake)?
    • Greek Ravani vs Turkish Revani
    • Ingredients 
    • What is semolina flour?
    • How to make it
    • Tips
    • Variations
    • More Turkish Desserts
    • 📖 Recipe

    What is revani (semolina cake)?

    Revani cake is a type of yellow cake made using a combination of semolina and all purpose flour. This cake is a staple recipe in Turkish cuisine and every household and restaurant has its own classic recipe.

    This cake is made with very basic “cake ingredients” but what makes it unique is the use of semolina and yogurt. Once baked in an oven, the cake is removed and sliced. When it is still warm, a cool syrup is poured over the slices to fully absorb.  This leaves you with a delicious, extremely moist piece of lemon semolina cake.

    Semolina cake slices garnished with coconut flakes on a black plate.

    Not only is this a popular dessert in Turkey, but also in Greece, Egypt and several other Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries. Naturally, each country has slight variations.

    Also, there is another type of semolina cake from Egypt named basbousa. Although it has a similar recipe structure to revani, they are not the same.

    Unlike the Turkish semolina cake, basbousa doesn’t contain eggs or all purpose flour, most often made using desiccated coconut in the batter and it is traditionally cooked in a pan. So these two semolina cakes shouldn’t be confused.

    Greek Ravani vs Turkish Revani

    Both cakes are famous syrupy desserts in their countries. But they have a few diffeences.

    Traditional Greek Ravani is also known as coconut cake. Different from Turkish revani, semolina is replaced by coconut flakes in this Greek dessert. So it is a combination of plain flour and coconut flakes. On the other hand, Turkish version is a combination of plain flour and semolina.

    Another difference is that Greek coconut cake ravani uses egg whites only while Turkish revani cake uses whole eggs.

    Also, yogurt is a must-have ingredient in Turkish semolina cake but there is no yogurt in its Greek counterpart.

    Apart from these, both cakes are so delicious!

    Ingredients 

    For this semolina cake recipe, we will be using traditional ingredients and methods. 

    Semolina, flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, oil and yogurt all in separate bowls on a light background.
    Sugar in a bowl, water in a saucepan and a half lemon on a light background.

    The most important ingredient is obviously the semolina. Make sure to choose a high-quality, medium-textured product that has a very yellow color. Do not use flour or extremely fine-textured semolina – it will only create a dense cake that is very unappealing.

    This recipe does contain a tiny bit of all purpose flour, but only to help find the coarser texture of the semolina itself.

     And baking powder is definitely a must for some fluffiness.

    The eggs, yogurt, and olive oil all act as enriching ingredients as well as the binding ones. They add flavor, color, and added mouth-feel.

    This lemon semolina cake has to contain sugar, but it gets used in both the cake and syrup elements. The sugar syrup gives the semolina cake the majority of the sweetness and helps soften the texture.

    Optionally, you can use lemon zest or orange zest for an extra citrus flavor.

    What is semolina flour?

    Semolina is an extremely popular course form of durum wheat. This means that it is NOT a gluten-free product!

    It has been used for centuries in many different cultures and cuisines and still is today.

    It has a pale yellow color and a semi-coarse texture – something between the texture of flour and couscous. This yellow color directly affects the final color of the cooked or baked food, giving it a very recognizable look.

    How to make it

    This delicious traditional syrup cake will leave you craving more! It has refreshing flavors, wonderful texture, and an excellent mouthfeel!

    Eggs and sugar in a large white bowl with a hand whisk inside it.
    Yogurt and oil added in the egg sugar mixture in a white bowl and a hand whisk inside it.
    Dry ingredients added in the whisked wet ingredients of the cake.

    First, start by making the simple syrup. Combine the sugar and water in a pot and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. Once it has thickened, add the lemon juice. Allow the syrup to cool completely before using it.

    Second, make the cake. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set them aside. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until they are fluffy and creamy. Add the yogurt and oil and combine well.  

    Cake batter in a round baking pan.
    Hands pouring sugar syrup in a copper coffee pot over the cooked semolina cake.

    Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix until all of the ingredients are just combined. Place the mixture into the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Bake in a preheated oven in a round, square or rectangular cake pan. 

    Third, assemble the cake. Slice the cake into diamonds or squares and pour the syrup over the warm cake. Allow it to absorb all of the syrup and cool completely before serving.

    Garnish each revani slice with some desiccated coconut or powdered pistachio.

    Serve. With this cake, we would recommend frosting the top with some whipped cream, although then it isn't very traditional. Oh and like almost all desserts, you can serve it with some dondurma (Turkish ice cream) or clotted cream (Turkish kaymak) on the side.

    Two slices of Turkish revani cake garnished with desiccated coconut on a black plate and ice cream on the side.

    Tips

    It is very important to make the syrup before making the cake as it takes much longer to cool down completely. The syrup has to be cooled completely before pouring it over the warm cake. By following this method, it will allow the warm cake to absorb as much of the cold syrup as possible, resulting in the perfect and ultimate texture!

    It is also highly recommended to slice the warm cake before adding the syrup. When slicing it into pieces, it creates a much larger surface area for the syrup to come into contact. The larger surface area means that more syrup can be absorbed and also more evenly. 

    Allow the cake to absorb the syrup for at least an hour before serving it. Although it is tempting to dig right in, it yields much better results this way and leaves you with a moist crumb.

    Variations

    Like most other traditional dishes, today you will be able to find a ton of variations of the original recipes. For this revani recipe, you can either make tiny subtle changes or big and bold ones.

    If you are looking to change the flavor profile a bit, try substituting the lemon juice in the sugar syrup with something like orange juice, or even grapefruit juice.

    You can further support the flavors by using similar garnishes such as lemon or orange slices, zest, curls, or even candied peel.

    Garnishes that will add supporting flavors include flaked almonds, coconut shavings, and even other types of chopped nuts or dried fruits.

    A more elaborate change you can make is by adding poppy seeds to the cake batter to create a poppy seed semolina cake!

    Turkish revani slices on a white plate.

    More Turkish Desserts

    • Homemade Baklava
    • Lokma Dessert
    • Turkish Rice Pudding
    • Ashure
    • Tel Kadayif with Pistachios
    • Halka Tatli

    As always: If you make this recipe, let us know what you think by rating it and leaving a comment below. And post a pic on Instagram too—tag @give_recipe so we can see!

    Sign up for the FREE GiveRecipe Newsletter to get the new recipes into your inbox! And stay in touch with us on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram for all the latest updates.

    📖 Recipe

    4.67 from 3 votes

    Revani Recipe (Turkish Semolina Cake)

    By Zerrin & Yusuf
    Semolina cake soaked into lemon flavored syrup.
    Yields: 20 slices
    PRINT PIN
    PREP 15 minutes mins
    COOK 30 minutes mins
    TOTAL 45 minutes mins

    INGREDIENTS
      

    For the syrup:

    • 440 ml water
    • 370 g sugar
    • 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed (optional: 2 lemon wedges for extra flavor)

    For the cake:

    • 160 g semolina
    • 65 g flour
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 3 medium eggs
    • 100 g sugar
    • 230 g yogurt

    For garnish:

    • 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut or ground pistachios

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    For the syrup:

    • Put sugar and water in a pot and bring it to boil. Reduce the heat to the low once it boils and let it simmer until it has a consistency, for about 20 minutes. Once it gets a little thicker, add in lemon juice (and lemon wedges) and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Let it cool. You can pour it into a large shallow bowl so that it cools faster. 

    For the cake:

    • Butter a 25 cm (10-inch) diameter round baking pan that is 4.5 cm (1.75 inches) deep and put it aside.
    • Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
    • In a large bowl, combine semolina, flour and baking powder. 
    • In another bowl, using an electric mixer, whisk together the eggs and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Add in yogurt and oil, mix well. 
    • Now pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and using a hand whisk, mix until everything is combined.
    • Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and bake until golden, for about 30 minutes. Make a toothpick test and if it comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven.
    • Slice it in diamonds or squares when it is still hot.

    To Assemble:

    • Pour the cooled syrup over the warm cake. Let it absorb the syrup and cool completely before serving.
    • Sprinkle desiccated coconut or ground pistachios and serve. 

    NOTES

    • Make the syrup first so that it cools while you are making the cake. 
    • Pour cooled syrup over the warm cake so that it is absorbed well.  
    • It’s important to slice the cake before pouring the syrup over it. This helps the cake absorb the syrup better.
    • Let it absorb the syrup before serving. Serving it after at least an hour would be best.

    NUTRITION

    Calories: 149kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.4gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 59mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 0.4gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 47IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 44mgIron: 1mg

    Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

    ADDITIONAL INFO

    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Turkish
    Tried this recipe? Leave a comment below!

    You might also like:

    • Rice pudding with a golden top garnished with pistachios in a clay bowl.
      Sutlaç - Turkish Rice Pudding
    • Hands holding a round baking pan full of baklava dessert on a grey background.
      How to Make Baklava
    • Turkish halva recipe made with flour
      Helva (Turkish Halva With Flour)
    • Golden brown Şekerpare cookies arranged in a white baking dish, topped with ground pistachios, with one broken to show the soft inside.
      Sekerpare
    « Zeytinyagli Yer Elmasi (Jerusalem Artichokes in Olive Oil)
    Turkish Pide Bread »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.67 from 3 votes

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Eureka says

      March 31, 2023 at 12:09 am

      4 stars
      Really easy and great recipe!! Followed exactly - only change I would do is make less sweet by having less syrup (about a half to 3/4 of what the recipe says) - depends on how sweet toothed you are I guess! =)

      Reply
      • Zerrin & Yusuf says

        March 31, 2023 at 6:33 pm

        Hi Eureka,

        Happy to hear that you liked the recipe. Traditionally, it is supposed to be really moist and sweet but yes, you can always play with the amount of the syrup.

        Reply
    2. Sheila says

      November 05, 2022 at 1:06 am

      Hi, I look forward to baking the Revani cake for a Greek-themed dinner party coming up soon.

      What size cake pan is best to use?
      Many thanks!

      Reply
      • Zerrin & Yusuf says

        November 05, 2022 at 2:14 am

        It would be a great treat for a Greek themed party.
        You can use a 25cm (10 inch) round pan or 11 x 7 inch rectangle pan. Hope this helps.
        Cheers 🙂

        Reply
    3. Zeynab says

      August 22, 2022 at 9:58 am

      5 stars
      Great recipe

      Reply
      • Zerrin & Yusuf says

        August 29, 2022 at 3:09 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    4. Sal says

      April 25, 2022 at 5:39 pm

      What if I don't have olive oil?

      Reply
      • Zerrin & Yusuf says

        April 28, 2022 at 2:35 am

        You can use vegetable oil or sunflower oil.

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    Zerrin & Yusuf

    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

    More about us→

    POPULAR RECIPES

    • Chicken seasoning in a glass jar and a small spoon in it.
      Dry Rub For Chicken - Chicken Seasoning
    • Turkish bean stew in a dark colored bowl and a spoon inside it.
      Kuru Fasulye Recipe (Turkish Beans)
    • Roasted tomato soup topped with feta cheese and basil leaves in a white bowl, grilled cheese sandwich dipped into it and more grilled cheese sandwiches behind it.
      Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
    • Turkish chicken dish with a tomato sauce served in a bowl and a fork inside it.
      Tavuk Sote - Turkish Chicken Sauté
    • Chicken doner wraps on a wooden board, pickled, French fries, tomato and onion slices on the side.
      Chicken Doner Kebab (Tavuk Döner)
    • Baked chicken wings on a rack.
      Baking Powder Chicken Wings Baked In The Oven

    Zerrin & Yusuf

    Meet Zerrin and Yusuf Gunaydin: The couple behind this blog. We bring Turkish food into your kitchen! From kebabs to desserts, everything you crave is here.

    More about us→

    POPULAR RECIPES

    • Chicken seasoning in a glass jar and a small spoon in it.
      Dry Rub For Chicken - Chicken Seasoning
    • Turkish bean stew in a dark colored bowl and a spoon inside it.
      Kuru Fasulye Recipe (Turkish Beans)
    • Roasted tomato soup topped with feta cheese and basil leaves in a white bowl, grilled cheese sandwich dipped into it and more grilled cheese sandwiches behind it.
      Roasted Garlic Tomato Soup
    • Turkish chicken dish with a tomato sauce served in a bowl and a fork inside it.
      Tavuk Sote - Turkish Chicken Sauté
    • Chicken doner wraps on a wooden board, pickled, French fries, tomato and onion slices on the side.
      Chicken Doner Kebab (Tavuk Döner)
    • Baked chicken wings on a rack.
      Baking Powder Chicken Wings Baked In The Oven

    Footer

    ABOUT

    • About Us

    POLICIES

    • Privacy Policy

    LET'S CONNECT!

    • Contact
    • Subscribe

    All content, recipes and photographs are copyrighted and the property of Give Recipe. They may not be republished in part or whole without proper credit and permission.

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Copyright © 2025 GIVE RECIPE

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Privacy PolicyACCEPT
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Turkish semolina cake sliced in a round baking pan.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.