Turkish-Style Revani Semolina Cake Steeped in Syrup

Revani is a classic dessert that has been present in Turkish cuisine since the Ottoman period. It is said to have been given its name when the Ottomans conquered the city of Yerevan in what is today Armenia. The Persian name for the cake, revani, is also used by the Greek culture. This dessert has been adapted by many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cultures. It is called basbousa in Arabic and shamali in Armenian.

In Turkish cuisine, revani is one of the most common desserts and is served both at home and in restaurants. It is a simple dessert made with a single layer of soft, yellow semolina sponge cake steeped in lots of light syrup.

Different versions of revani exist throughout the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, including Greece, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Arab cuisine, to name a few.

Try this easy recipe and experiment with different flavorings to make authentic Turkish-style revani at home. While good all by itself, topping it with whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream adds an extra deliciousness.

For the Syrup:

For the Cake:

, zested
finely
, for garnish

Show Full Nutrition Label
Hide Full Nutrition Label

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 350 F / 175 C. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
Before you start making the cake, prepare the syrup to give it time to cool down. Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Turn the heat on high and bring the mixture to a boil while continuously stirring it.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar. Whisk the mixture briskly for several minutes until the sugar dissolves. The more you whisk, the better your revani will turn out.
Add the oil, lemon zest, vanilla, and yogurt and whisk for several minutes more.
Add the dry ingredients—flour, semolina, hazelnuts, baking soda, and baking powder—and mix together well until you have a smooth batter.
Cut the cake into portion-sized squares or rectangles while still in the pan.
Using a large spoon, slowly drizzle all of the cooled syrup over the cake and let it soak in. Cover the cake with foil and refrigerate it for several hours.
Before serving, garnish each square of cake with a pinch of coconut and ground nuts.

Tip

This cake can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for three to four days.

Rate This Recipe

I don’t like this at all.
It’s not the worst.
Sure, this will do.
I’m a fan—would recommend.
Amazing! I love it!
Thanks for your rating!

Revani Cake – Turkish Semolina Cake is a popular Mediterranean dessert that is enjoyed across the Middle East and Greece. This delectable dessert is made with semolina flour, sugar, and eggs, soaked with orange-flavored syrup, and then cut into diamonds or squares.

Same as Sekerpare (Turkish Semolina Cookies), the result is a moist and tender cake that is perfect for serving on special occasions or as an afternoon treat.

What is Revani?

Revani is a syrup-soaked cake made with semolina flour, orange, coconut, eggs, yogurt, and flour. Once the cake is baked in the oven like a regular cake, it is sliced and then soaked in a simple syrup flavored with orange or lemon.

Revani cake has a distinct taste and texture because of its ingredients, particularly semolina flour and sweet syrup. The cake is soft and moist with a slightly grainy texture, while the syrup gives it a delicate and sweet aroma, usually with a hint of lemon and/or orange blossom water.

Revani is a very popular dessert in Turkey, especially during Ramadan. Although it is usually associated with Turkey, this semolina cake is also popular in some Middle Eastern and Mediterranean countries.

History of Revani Cake

This delicious classic Revani dessert is dating back to the Ottomans, where it was a favorite of the Sultans and their households. The dessert is named after the famous Turkish poet, Revani, who is said to have been a lover of sweets.

Over time, the recipe for Revani – Turkish Semolina Cake has been adopted by many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. Hence it has many different names: Revani in Turkey, Basbousa in Egypt, Ravani in Greece, and Shamali in Armenia.

This Semolina Cake is now a popular dessert for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and religious holidays.

Turkish Revani vs Greek Revani

Turkish Revani and Greek Revani are both popular desserts with similar ingredients and preparation methods, but there are notable differences between them.

Revani is believed to have originated in the Ottoman Empire and is enjoyed in both Greece and Turkey. However, Greek Revani is often attributed to Venetian influence on the Greek islands.

In addition to semolina flour, sugar, eggs, and syrup, the Turkish version also incorporates yogurt into the cake mixture.

The syrup used to soak both versions of Revani is typically made with sugar, water, and lemon juice or orange blossom water. However, Greek Revani often includes honey in the syrup, giving it a richer and more complex flavor.

Despite the similarities, the differences in ingredients and serving make Turkish Revani and Greek Revani unique desserts in their own right.

Why This Recipe Works?

Semolina is a type of high-gluten flour made from durum wheat which is a hard type of wheat. It can be either fine or coarse depending on what you’re making.

Semolina flour is commonly used for making pasta, couscous, and sweet puddings such as Irmik Helvasi (Turkish Semolina Halva) and Sekerpare (Turkish Semolina Cookies). It gives structure and that signature sandy texture to Revani.

Ingredients and Substitutes

How to Make Turkish Revani Cake?

Much of the sweetness and moisture in Semolina Yogurt Cake comes from simple syrup poured over the top of the warm, freshly-baked cake.

To make simple syrup, place the water and sugar in a pan and put them on medium heat.

Heat the mixture stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture comes to a boil.

After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.

Add a few drops of lemon juice, let it simmer for a few more minutes, and then remove the pan from heat.

Add the orange juice and zest, give it a good stir, and let it cool down while making the semolina cake.

Making the Semolina Cake

Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F) and grease a 23 cm (9″) Ø oven dish or cake tin with oil, and set it aside.

Beat the eggs and the sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until it doubles the size and it is light & fluffy. (Make sure your eggs are at room temperature).

Alternatively, you can use a hand-held mixer and a large bowl.

Add the orange juice, yogurt, and oil, and mix at low speed until combined.

Finally, add the semolina, flour, baking powder, coconut, and orange zest to the bowl and gently mix until all combined.

Pour the batter into the baking tray.

Bake the cake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool down for 5 minutes and pour the syrup slowly over the cake using a ladle.

When the cake cools down, cut it to desired shape and size, and garnish with more coconuts and pistachio nuts before serving.

If you love sweet treats, don’t miss out on my other Turkish Desserts recipes!

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

Top Tips From The Chef

Is Revani gluten-free?

Revani dessert is made with semolina which is a type of high-gluten flour made from durum wheat. Unfortunately, Revani is NOT gluten-free!

How to store the leftovers?

You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, 7 days refrigerated, or 3 months in the freezer.

Can I replace the orange with lemon?

Yes, you can use the same amount of lemon zest and juice instead of orange. There are many recipes that use lemon juice or even grapefruit juice for Revani cake.

Can I make Ravani ahead of time?

Yes, Revani cake can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for up to three days. Keep the cake covered with cling film to prevent it from drying out.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this scrumptious orange-flavored Revani – Turkish Semolina Cake as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

Revani (or Ravani) is a classic Turkish dessert made of semolina cake soaked with orange-flavored syrup and then cut into diamonds or squares.

Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Turkish

For the Syrup

caster or granulated sugar
vegetable or sunflower oil
plain natural yoghurt
medium ground semolina
plain white flour / all-purpose flour
zest of 1 orange
chopped pistachio nuts and/or desiccated coconut

Making the Syrup

Place the water and sugar in a pan and put on medium heat.
Heat the mixture stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves completely and the mixture comes to a boil.
After it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add a few drops of lemon juice, let it simmer for a few more minutes, and then remove the pan from heat.
Add the orange zest and juice, give it a good stir, and let it cool down while making the semolina cake.

Preheat the oven to 180° C (360° F) and grease a 23 cm (9″) Ø oven dish or cake tin with oil, and set it aside.
Beat the eggs and the sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed until it doubles the size up and it is light & fluffy. (Make sure your eggs are at room temperature). Alternatively, you can use a hand-held mixer and a large bowl.
Add the orange juice, yogurt, and oil, and mix at low speed until combined.
Finally, add the semolina, flour, baking powder, coconut, and orange zest to the bowl and gently mix until all combined.
Pour the batter into the baking tray and bake it in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool down for 5 minutes and pour the syrup slowly over the cake using a ladle.
When the cake cools down, cut it to desired shape and size, and garnish with more coconuts and pistachio nuts before serving.

Use high-quality medium-ground semolina flour to ensure a tender and moist cake.
Use room-temperature eggs for the cake batter as they mix more easily and smoothly with the other ingredients, resulting in a more evenly textured cake. Room-temperature eggs help the cake to rise more effectively during baking.
Start with making the syrup first. You want the syrup to be at room temperature before pouring it on the cake shortly after it comes out of the oven.
Use the same amount of lemon zest and juice instead of orange if you want your Revani Cake with lemon flavor.
You can store the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, 7 days refrigerated, or 3 months in the freezer.

This post uses affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

Jump straight to the recipe here (but you’ll miss a lot of good info)!

Revani is a Turkish cake that’s made with semolina flour, soaked in a lemon-flavored simple syrup, then topped with chopped pistachios. It’s light, extremely moist, and a very popular Turkish dessert. It’s also very easy to make!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The first time I tried Turkish cake I almost passed it up. I’m not a huge cake person, mostly because they’re often too dry for my taste. The friend that I was with insisted that I’d love it, so I agreed to give it a try.

It was amazing! So moist, with a light lemon flavor, and a wonderful texture contrast with the pistachios. I’ve made it many times since to get the recipe just right.

Semolina is actually a common ingredient although it’s not used as often here in the US. It’s a flour that’s made from durum wheat. Durum wheat is grown mostly in the Middle East and it’s what is used to make this Turkish Cake, known as Revani. Semolina is also commonly used to make homemade pasta as it helps the pasta keep its shape when cooking.

Which type of semolina to use for making Revani?

Be sure to use fine-ground semolina when making this semolina cake. Regular semolina flour is much more coarse and gritty, which doesn’t work well here. You can find semolina flour at most grocery stores, or you can find it on Amazon here.

Ingredients in Revani Turkish Cake

There are only 10 ingredients in this recipe! You’ll also need some water to make the simple syrup but most of these ingredients you probably already have on hand.

all-purpose flour
fine semolina flour
baking powder
eggs (here are a few egg substitute suggestions)
sugar
yogurt
olive oil
salt
fresh lemon juice
chopped pistachios

For precise measurements, see the recipe card at the bottom of this article.

How do you make simple syrup from scratch?

It’s basically a sugar syrup that’s made from granulated sugar and water. Simply mix equal amounts of sugar and water in a saucepan, then heat on the stove, stirring frequently, until the sugar has completely dissolved.

For this Turkish cake, we add some fresh lemon juice to flavor it as well.

How to make this Turkish cake dessert

Making this semolina yogurt cake is very similar to cakes you’re used to, with just a few different ingredients. You mix the batter, bake it, and allow it to cool. Then you pour the cooled lemon simple syrup over the cake and allow it to seep in for a truly moist and decadent dessert.

Similar recipes sometimes separate the eggs and whip the egg whites, then fold them gently into the batter. You can opt to do this but I’ve found that it doesn’t make a major difference in the end result. I like to keep it simple and get my Turkish cake on the table as quickly and easily as possible.

Make the simple syrup first by combining water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until it thickens, stirring frequently. Stir in the lemon juice, then set it aside to allow it to cool completely.

Whisk the dry ingredients together. In another bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they’re fully combined and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the yogurt, olive oil, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, about 1/4 at a time, mixing just until combine between each addition. Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and pour the syrup over the cake. Set it aside and allow it to cool completely.

Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios, then slice it and serve! You can slice it into squares or triangles.

For detailed instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this article.

Tips for the best Turkish Cake

Be sure to use fine semolina flour which result in a much more tender cake
Mix the ingredients just until they’re combined – don’t overmix
Allow time for the simple syrup to cool completely before pouring over the cake. This helps the cake absorb as much of the syrup as possible.

Revani Recipe Variations

Replace the pistachios with almonds
Try using fresh orange juice instead of lemon juice
Sprinkle with powdered sugar after the cake has cooled but before topping with the crushed pistachios
Top with toasted coconut flakes instead of nuts
Add some lemon zest to the simple syrup for a more prominent lemon flavor
Top with whipped cream or serve ice cream on the side

How to store this Turkish Cake

Revani will keep for 3-4 days if it’s kept covered in an airtight container. You can extend it’s shelf life to one week if you store the container in the refrigerator.

Also check out these 40 Easy Desserts to make at home. If you’re looking for a savory Turkish dish, check out these amazing Turkish Meatballs, too!

2 cups water
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup fine semolina flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
3 large eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup full-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 cup olive oil

Topping

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of an 11×7 baking dish or a round cake pan and set it aside.
Remove the cake from the oven and pour the syrup over the cake. Set it aside and allow it to cool completely and the syrup to fully soak into the cake.
Loosen the edges of the cake and flip onto a serving platter (alternatively you can leave the cake in the pan, but flipping it helps the syrup to redistribute). Sprinkle with the chopped pistachios, then slice it into squares or triangles and serve.

Amount Per Serving:

21g 3g 0g 17g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She’s a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

Revani is a classic semolina cake that’s easy and so delicious. Soaked in a light simple syrup, this cake is popular throughout the Middle East and Mediterranean.

As a daughter of the Middle East and a lover of all things sweet, my dessert of choice is always a good syrup-soaked concoction like my Persian love cake or a classic baklava, preferably with a cup of freshly brewed tea. I was lucky to end up living in Istanbul for a while because Turkey doesn’t fall short when it comes to syrup-soaked desserts. This classic ravani cake is one of them. We’ll be posting more recipes like this one in the coming months, so be sure to bookmark the blog and subscribe to our email list to keep up with our latest work!

Table Of Contents:

Revani, pronounced reh-va-nee and also known as ravani, is a classic syrup-soaked cake that’s popular in many parts of the Middle East and Mediterranean including Turkey, Greece, Yemen and Egypt. Each country has its own variation of this cake: for example, the Greek version uses coconut in the batter.

This cake is different from basbousa since it contains eggs (basbousa has no eggs or all purpose flour). The recipe I’m sharing with you today is Turkish revani, which you can find in many restaurants and patisseries around Turkey.

The cake is soaked in a simple syrup than is sometimes infused with lemon juice or orange blossom water. Just like baklava, the cold syrup is poured over the warm baked good, yielding a perfectly tender and sweetly soaked texture.

Sugar: You need granulated sugar for both the syrup and the cake. The cake doesn’t use much sugar since it’s going to be sweetened by simple syrup.
Eggs: Use large eggs for this recipe. It’s best to have them at room temperature.
Oil: You can use any kind of neutral flavored oil for this cake including vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil or sunflower oil.
Yogurt: Any kind of plain yogurt including whole milk, low-fat or non-fat works in this recipe. If using non-dairy yogurt, make sure it’s not flavored.
All purpose flour: Regular all purpose flour works best for this recipe. Don’t substitute with whole wheat or other kinds of flour.

How to make revani cake

Start by making the simple syrup. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off, add the lemon juice and let it cool completely.
Add in the vegetable oil, yogurt and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Then add the semolina, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Stir to combine.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and smoothen the top using a spatula. Bang the pan a couple of times on the counter to release the air bubbles. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for 5 minutes. Slice it into 12 pieces in the pan and pour the cool syrup all over the cake using a ladle. Let the cake sit for 1 to 2 hours at room temperature.
Gently take the slices out of the pan and place them on a serving late. Top with desiccated coconut and ground pistachios if desired.

Tips to make this recipe

Cool syrup: You need to make sure that the syrup is completely cool before pouring it on the cake. The warm cake and cold syrup is the key to moist and fluffy revani cake. You can make the syrup up to 2 days ahead of time.
Lining the baking pan: To easily line the pan, first coat it with cooking spray then line it with parchment paper. You don’t need to line the edges of the pan, just the bottom is enough.
Cake slices: Don’t slice the cake into smaller pieces. The cake is warm and very tender and it could fall apart if slices into smaller pieces.

Storage and freezing

Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. You can serve it cold or at room temperature. The cake probably won’t be as moist after a day, but it’ll still taste very good.

As for freezing, I don’t recommend doing so since the cake would dry out. The texture will be different and not as pleasant.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make this cake gluten-free?

Semolina is made from hard durum wheat and is high in gluten. It’s a key ingredient in this recipe and unfortunately cannot be substituted with anything.

How can I know if the cake is ready?

The cake should be ready after 30 minutes of baking at 350 degrees F. To make sure. insert a toothpick in the middle of the cake, if it comes out clean and with little to no crumbs, it’s ready.

Can I make a smaller cake using half of the recipe?

I don’t recommend changing the measurements or making half of the recipe because it can change the texture and flavor of the cake.

Can I use less syrup?

The cake will be dry if all the syrup is not used, therefore I recommend using all the syrup.

More delicious dessert recipes

Greek, Mediterranean, middle eastern, Turkish

Topping (optional)

To make the syrup, place the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the lemon juice. Let the syrup cool completely.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9×13 baking pan with parchment paper.
Mix in the vanilla extract vegetable oil and yogurt. Add the semolina flour, all purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine.
Transfer the batter into the baking pan. Smoothen the top and bang it a couple of times on the counter and release the extra air. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. To make sure the cake is ready, insert a toothpick into the cake and if it comes out clean, it’s ready.
Let the cake cool for 5 minutes. Slice it into 12 squares in the pan and pour the cold syrup all over the cake using a ladle. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before serving. If desired, top with desiccated coconut and ground pistachio.

You can use any kind of neutral flavored oil including vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil or grapeseed oil.
For this recipe use plain yogurt. It can be whole milk, low-fat or non-fat or even non-dairy yogurt. In case of using non-dairy yogurt, make sure it’s not flavored.
It’s very important to make sure the the syrup is completely cold before pouring it over the cake, otherwise the cake will fall apart. You can make the syrup up to 2 days in advance.
This cake is very fluffy and soft therefore it’s best not to slice it into smaller pieces since it’s still hot and might fall apart.
Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Serve cold or at room temperature. I don’t recommend freezing this cake since it would get dry and the texture won’t be the same.

Let us know how it was by leaving a comment and a 5-star review!

Reader Interactions

This semolina halva with ice cream is a sweet treat that’s popular in Turkey. Halva is generally quick and easy to make. Typically, semolina halva is flavoured with sweet syrups or vanilla, this version ups the ante with an ice cream filling!

What is Semolina Halva

Semolina Halva is a delicious dessert that is quite popular in various Mediterranean, South Asian, and Middle Eastern countries. Commonly, it’s made using syrup or vanilla, but this fantastic Turkish Semolina Halva is made with luscious vanilla ice cream inside.

It is also common to find pine nuts or other nuts riddled in the cake part of the dessert, making it perfect for the nut lover who wants something a little sweet!

Semolina is a type of flour. It is made from durum wheat and the most nutritious part of that wheat is milled down and made into Semolina. It’s a course type of wheat.

Halva means sweet in Turkish. And semolina halva is irmik helvasi.

Semolina Halva with ice cream

Here’s a delicious Turkish dessert that we put a little spin on. It’s the perfect dessert combination of something warm served with a scoop of cold ice cream, the best of both worlds. Similar to how Americans love a nice hot slice of apple pie and a cold scoop of ice cream with it. Except, with this recipe, the ice cream is hidden inside of the Semolina Halva cake and then oozes out with every spoonful of this amazing dessert.

Since the cake-like part is inverted on top of ice cream, it reminds me of this Dulce de Leche lava cake recipe or one of those ‘Surprise Birthday Cakes’ that spill candies and chocolate whenever you cut into them. Trust me besties, you’re going to adore this ice cream filled dessert!

Other kinds of halva

Halva is usually made with flour, like Semolina, but it can also be made with tahini. When your halva is made with tahini, it is usually naturally sweet. Given that halva is popular in a few different parts of the world (South Asia and Greece also come to mind!), it’s understandable that there are many different types of halva out there. This semolina halva recipe happens to have Turkish origins, but it should by no means be considered “the definitive version”.

You can add virtually any of your favorite flavors to create different halva flavors. Try adding in some different nuts (pistachios are a popular option), chopped chocolate, butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, coffee, or any flavors (think: lemon or orange zest) to the liquid mixture, before you mix it with the semolina to create new masterpieces.

Butter
Pine nuts
Semolina
Sugar
Water
Milk
Ice cream
Cinnamon

How to make semolina halva with ice cream

In a large mixing bowl, mix sugar, water, and milk together until the sugar dissolves and mixes in well. Set the liquid mixture aside.
In a rice pot, melt the butter on the stove. Add the pine nuts and semolina to the pot of melted butter and fry over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the semolina turns a tan color while frying, add the liquid mixture to the pot. When the liquid mixture is poured into the hot pan, be careful as it will steam and splash.
Mix carefully and place the lid on the pot.
When the semolina starts to absorb the liquid, mix it again and close the lid.
Use a spoon to make a crater in the center of the halva and place a scoop of ice cream. Then add a spoonful of halva again and press it to straighten it.
Invert the dessert onto a plate and serve with cinnamon on top.

When making the crater to put the ice cream in, you can use a spoon or an ice cream scoop. Whichever you plan to use to get the ice cream out, that’s what’s best to use to make the crater. This way the ice cream scoop is the proper size for the crater.
You want to let your ice cream soften a bit so it’s easier to scoop when you’re ready to serve your dessert.

Variation ideas

While this Turkish Semolina Halva with ice cream is absolutely delish as it is, there are a few ways you can swap things out for a little extra variety:

Trade ice cream- use any ice cream flavor your want. It would be really good with a nice scoop of chocolate, strawberry, or even Rocky Road ice cream. But use whatever your want to make your belly happy.
You can trade out the pine nuts for other nut options. Try walnuts, pistachio, crushed pecans, almond slivers, or some chopped peanuts. You could even try sesame seeds.
For another slightly sweeter option, try swapping the granulated white sugar for brown sugar.
With the cinnamon, you can add a drizzle of honey, maple syrup, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, or dulce de leche, etc

If you like what I’m doing here, and you want to help, why not go ahead and become a Patron? You can support Chocolates & Chai for as little as the price of a cup of coffee!

More Turkish desserts

And that’s it for today, bestie. What did you think? Have you tried Turkish Semolina Halva with ice cream before? What are your favourite Mediterranean desserts? Comment below and let me know.

📖 Recipe

Turkish semolina halva is a delicious semolina-based cake. While many semolina halvas are flavoured with syrup or vanilla, this one is filled with ice cream!

of butter
of pine nuts
semolina
+ sugar
+ water
+ milk
scoop ice cream
ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

In a large bowl, mix sugar, water and milk until sugar dissolves. Set the liquid mixture aside.
Put the rice pot on the stove. Melt the butter. Add the pine nuts and semolina and fry it on low heat for 15 minutes, stirring.
When the color of the semolina turns tan, add the liquid mixture. When the liquid mixture is poured into the hot pan, be careful as it may steam and splash.
Mix lightly and close the lid of the pot.
When the semolina starts to absorb the liquid, mix it again and close the lid.
Invert onto a plate and serve with cinnamon on top.

semolina halva, semolina halva with ice cream,

I prepared a fruit sauce for the top. In this sauce, you can use any juicy fruits that are in season. The only thing to remember is to adjust the amount of sugar according to the sweetness of your fruit. I hope you give this easy but delicious recipe a try.

Serving : 6 Servings

1 lt milk,
10 tablespoons semolina,
1 cup of sugar,
1 tablespoon butter.

For fruit jelly;

2 glasses of red fruit (raspberry, blackberry, blackberry, etc.),
1/2 tea cup sugar,
3 cups of water,
3 sweet spoon powder gelatin.

Preparation

Take milk, semolina and sugar in a deep pan,
Cook continuously stirring until set,
Add the butter and stir until melted and remove from heat,
Pour into the 22 * 22 cm dish,
Set aside until it becomes at room temperature,
For the jelly take water and 1 cup of fruit in a sauce pan,
Add the gelatine and mix and cook for a few minutes constantly stirring,
Pour the jelly over your semolina dessert,
Place the remaining fruits into the jelly,
Cover it with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge overnight.

*for a 25x30cm baking pan

Ingredients for sponge cake:

3 large eggs
100g white sugar
100g all purpose flour
250ml butter milk
zest from one lemon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt

Ingredients for lemon syrup:

juice from 3 large lemons
300g white sugar

Ingredients for frosting:

400ml heavy whipping cream
250g mascarpone cheese
50g powder sugar
1 teaspoon vanila powder

Topping (based on preferences):

diced fresh mango
speculoos (Biscoff) spread

(1) Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl: semolina, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

(2) Separately, in a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, mix the eggs with the sugar, for a few minutes until you get a fluffy mixture. Add the oil, butter milk and lemon zest and mix well.

(3) Add the dry ingredients over the previous mix, and with the help of a whisk, gently incorporate the ingredients, trying to keep the dough as airy as possible.

(4) Grease the pan with butter and pour the mixture in. Level the batter and place the pan in the preheated oven at 180C for about 25 minutes or until it turns golden and passes the toothpick test.

(5) While the sponge is in the oven, prepare the lemon syrup. Add all the ingredients in a fireproof pot and keep it on the fire until it boils and the sugar melts. Remove from fire and let it cool at room temperature until the sponge is ready.

(6) After the sponge has baked, let it cool slightly for 5-10 minutes. With a skewer stick, poke the sponge from place to place and then pour over all the lemon syrup. Let the sponge soak all the syrup and cool at room temperature.

(7) Once the sponge reached room temperature, start making the frosting.

Whip the whipping cream, cold from the fridge, until stiff.

In a separate bowl, mix the mascarpone cheese with powdered sugar and vanilla with a mixer, until everything is combined.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone. If using a mixer, try not to mix too much so as not to over-beat the cream. Easier way is to use a whisk.

Level the frosting over the cake and decorate with the desired topping. We can simply dust with cocoa, add fresh mango over or add a layer of speculoos biscuit cream (which we heat slightly in the microwave to be fluid).

Store in the fridge for a few days.

Turkish-Style Revani Semolina Cake Steeped in Syrup