Ravani (Ραβανί) — Greek Semolina Cake Soaked in Citrus Syrup

• 170 gunsalted butter (plus 10 g for greasing the pan)
• 200 gplain yogurt (full-fat preferred)
• 200 ggranulated sugar
• 4eggs (large, about 200 g without shells)
• 180 gfine semolina (not coarse semolina)
• 60 gall-purpose flour
• 10 gbaking powder (about 2 tsp)
• 2 tsporange zest (finely grated, from 1 large orange)
• 1 tsplemon zest (finely grated, from 1 lemon)
• 2 tspvanilla extract
• 0.5 tspfine salt
• 300 mlwater
• 120 mlorange juice (freshly squeezed)
• 30 mllemon juice (freshly squeezed)
• 2orange peel (2 wide strips, pith mostly removed)
• 1 striplemon peel (1 wide strip, pith mostly removed)
• 1 stickcinnamon stick (optional but traditional)
• 15 ghoney (about 1 tbsp, for sheen)
• 30 gblanched almonds (sliced or roughly chopped)

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 175°C and set a rack in the middle. Grease a 23×33 cm baking pan with 10 g butter and line the base with parchment for easy lifting, then grease the parchment as well.

2. 2

   Make the citrus syrup first so it can cool properly. Combine 350 g sugar, 300 ml water, 120 ml orange juice, 30 ml lemon juice, the orange and lemon peels, and the cinnamon stick in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

3. 3

   Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 10 minutes, keeping the bubbles gentle so the syrup stays clear. Stir in the honey, simmer 1 minute more, then remove from heat and let it cool completely while you bake the cake.

4. 4

   Melt 170 g butter and let it cool for 5 minutes so it is warm but not hot. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and 200 g sugar for 1 full minute until slightly lighter and foamy, then whisk in the yogurt, vanilla, orange zest, lemon zest, and salt.

5. 5

   In a separate bowl, mix the fine semolina, flour, and baking powder until evenly combined. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and whisk just until no dry pockets remain, then slowly whisk in the melted butter to form a thick, smooth batter.

6. 6

   Pour the batter into the prepared pan and level the top with a spatula so it bakes evenly. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until deeply golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

7. 7

   Remove the cake from the oven and let it rest in the pan for 5 minutes so the crumb sets. While it is still hot, score it into 12 pieces with a sharp knife, cutting all the way down to the bottom to create channels for the syrup.

8. 8

   Discard the citrus peels and cinnamon stick from the cooled syrup. Slowly ladle the cool syrup over the hot cake in 3–4 additions, waiting about 1 minute between additions so it absorbs evenly without pooling.

9. 9

   Let the Ravani stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours, and ideally 4 hours, so the syrup fully penetrates and the texture becomes tender and cohesive. Sprinkle with the almonds before serving, and cut again along the scored lines for clean portions.