Albanian ravani
1 hour 15 min
The Albanian ravani (also known as revani) is similar to the English sponge cake but denser in texture due to the yoghurt. I can eat ravani all day long and is often eaten as a cold pudding and cold in the morning. Most cakes, sweets and biscuits are like this in Albania, each with two ways of serving. Traditionally ravani is cut into diamonds to serve, but I love using slices to form shapes and using them as centre pieces on the dinner table.
14 people made this
Ingredients
Makes: 1 cake
- 440g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 600g plain yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 150g plain flour
- olive oil, for greasing
Method
Prep:15min ›
Cook:40min ›
Extra time:20min ›
Ready in:1hr15min
- In a mixing bowl stir eggs and sugar together till smooth. Then stir in the yoghurt and bicarb.
- Add two handfuls of the flour and mix. Continue to add flour until the mixture has thickened (when dripping some mixture onto itself it should take about 3 seconds to soak back in).
- Using a large baking tray about 5cm deep, grease it with the olive oil and pour the mixture in. Bang the tray down a couple of times to ensure the mixture is flat.
- Place the ravani into a cold oven, then turn the oven on to 180 C / Gas 4 and cook for 40 minutes, or until golden brown – the firmness you are looking for should feel like an arm muscle.
- Turn the oven off, leaving the cake inside and door open for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cut into diamonds, squares or slices and place onto a serving plate.
Optional
Once cooled and cut, boil equal parts sugar and water to form a light syrup, and then pour the hot syrup over the cooled cake. Leave for 2 hours before serving as a pudding.
