Pistachio semolina cake (ravani) - Turkish Cuisine

With the Turkish diaspora spread throughout Greece, Cyprus, Syria, Iraq and the Balkans, it’s no wonder many countries in the region also lay claim to this recipe for a lovely light cake, made from ground pistachios with a zesty orange syrup.

Ingredients



5 medium eggs, separated

1 tbsp sugar, plus 1 pinch extra

1 orange, zested

50 g fine semolina

50 g plain flour

100 g ground pistachios

Syrup



600 ml fresh orange juice

1 orange, zested

500 g sugar

To serve



300 ml cream

300 ml Greek-style yoghurt

2 oranges

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.



Instructions



Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter a muffin tray that has 6 large moulds.



In a large bowl beat the egg whites with a pinch of sugar until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks with 1 tbsp of sugar and the orange zest until pale. Add the semolina, flour and pistachios to the egg whites and partly mix through. Add the egg yolks and fold through until combined. Spoon into the muffin tray and bake for 30 minutes.



Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the orange juice, zest and sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 10 minutes or until syrupy and reduced by half. Leave to cool.



Whip the cream until thick and stir in the yoghurt.



Segment the oranges by cutting off the peel with a small sharp knife, making sure you remove all the white pith. Cut on either side of each segment, removing wedges of flesh but leaving the membranes.



When the cakes are cooked, ladle over some of the cooled syrup and leave to soak for at least 10 minutes (or longer if you prefer the cakes softer). Serve the cakes with the whipped cream and yoghurt, orange segments and a little extra syrup.