Revani/Basboosa

This is my signature cake, a little different from the usual ones and is the most easiest and fun to prepare! Every time I bake this cake and take it to get-togethers or parties, one of my Pakistani friends asks for the recipe and everytime I promise that I would email it to her. The demand for the recipe grew everytime. And then I started blogging, thought of posting this recipe for her. But somehow it never worked out... Zille, this is for u :) Sorry, tumhain kuch zyaada hi wait karna padaa yaar !

Well, I really have to share my experience while capturing this.When I was taking pictures of this cake, and was wondering what to use for props and background, made few changes here and there and finally got settled with only the cake pieces at the background and a single piece projecting ! It was my 5 yr old son who suggested that I should include a cup of tea as well. He pointed out his finger to a place and said "Place a cup of tea here Mamma"! It was purely and only for his sake and to make him happy that I prepared a tea and added in the background. The outcome was really amazing and I must say, it definitely enhanced the mood of the pic. Why didn't it occur to me in the first place ? Looks like I now I have an additional little member to discuss about food photography and tips :) Sometimes even these little ones are so helpful and give unexpected advices and suggestions which we never think of !

This is a very easy cake, made of sweet semolina and yogurt as prime ingredients.  Its called Revani in Turkish and Basboosa in Middle East. The sugar syrup poured over the finished cake makes this cake so soft and juicy. 

And nobody could figure out that its a "non-flour" cake ! I had baked this atleast about 20 times and everytime it comes out perfect…..you can never go wrong with this recipe  ! 

Ingredients for 8-10 people

Yogurt - 500 gms

Semolina - 500 gms

Sugar - 600 gms (200 gms + 400 gms)

Eggs - 4

Butter - 125 gms

Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp

Baking powder - 3 tsp

Bread crumbs - 3 tbsp

Lemon juice of 1 lemon.

Dry Coconut flakes - 50 gms

Water - 750 ml

Method:

1. Mix and combine together Yogurt, eggs, 200 gms sugar and the essence in a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter separately and allow it to cool for about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add the butter to the Yogurt mixture and mix well without forming any lumps, until the sugar is fully dissolved.

4. Mix the Semolina and the baking powder and add to the Yogurt-Butter mixture. Beat well.

5. Take a big cake tin ( could be rectangular or a circular one) and grease it with butter. Sprinkle the bread crumbs and rotate the tin thoroughly to cover the entire area(The reason for using bread crumbs will be clear later)

6. Pour over the prepared batter. 

7.  Preheat the oven to 175°C and bake the cake for about 45 minutes until it turns golden brown. (This time may vary slightly according to the depth of the tin used. So watch out for the golden browning or insert a skewer to check out if its comes out clean).

8. Meanwhile prepare the syrup by dissolving 400 gms of sugar in 750 ml water and bring it to a boil. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Now add the lemon juice and let it boil for another 2 minutes. Then set aside for cooling.

9. When the cake is done, allow it to cool on a wirerack for about 5 minutes and then slowly and in parts pour the sugar syrup evenly all over the cake. Allow it to seep down and soak for about half an hour. 

10. Cut into small squares, sprinkle dry coconut flakes for decor.

11. The bread crumbs at the bottom form a beautiful brown crust matching the golden brown surface and gets soaked in the syrup to become juicier.

Note : Stays good for about 3 days at room temperature in an air-tight container.