Greek Semolina Cake or Ravani is a delicious sponge cake that is popular throughout Greece. This light, airy cake has hints of citrus flavour and is sweetened with a simple syrup.
In a small saucepan, add all of the ingredients for the syrup. Heat it over medium heat until the sugar completely dissolves, creating a simple syrup. Let it cool. Once cooled, remove the cinnamon stick.
Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9x13 baking pan (or similar- I used a 11x11 pan) with butter.
In a bowl, mix together the flour, semolina, and baking powder. Set aside.
Separate the egg whites and yolks into 2 separate bowls. Starting with the egg whites, whip them until they form stiff peaks. [I use a stand mixer to make this step easier but a hand mixer will do the job. It typically takes about 5 minutes.]
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the sugar.
Next mix in the orange zest and vanilla extract.
Slowly add the semolina mixture into the egg yolk mixture and mix until they are combined.
Next, using a spatula, gently fold in the whipped egg whites. Be gentle while folding it in so that you do not deflate the egg whites.
Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes and then poke some holes with a thin skewer (optional). While its still warm, use a ladle or large serving spoon to pour the syrup over the cake, ensuring you pour it evenly. [Note: the cake should be warm and the syrup should be cool.]
Let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving. You can also add additional toppings such as shredded coconut, powdered sugar, or nuts, if desired.
Notes
This recipe makes a 9x13 cake or similar. I used a 11x11 inch square pan.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.