Ravani

"Dessert is probably the most important stage of the meal, since it will be the last thing your guests remember before they pass out all over the table."William Powell My Dad is probably the hardest man to find a gift for in the entire world. When asked what he wants for Christmas or his birthday, he always says "nothing". If you buy him something, he makes a "pshhh!" sound and waves his hand disapprovingly. He does not approve of the spending of money on frivolous items. So one year, I decided I would make him something for his birthday. I asked what his absolute favorite dessert was, and he said it was ravani and that Yiayia used to make it perfectly. So, I tried to make it for his birthday, but I didn't cook the syrup long enough and so when I poured the syrup on top of the cake there were small grainy sugar pieces on top of it. Probably not like Yiayia made it, I'm assuming. Today, however, I decided to give it another shot now that I'm older and wiser. Glad I did, because the syrup came together and the cake was fantastic. It's moist already because of all of the eggs and segmithali (semolina), but when you pour the cooled syrup onto the hot cake it absorbs all the orangey sweet flavor and becomes the perfect combination of cake and syrup.Kali Orexi!!!!Prep Time Notes: Prep time is about 15 minutes, cooking time is 30 - 40 minutes.Ingredients:1 Cup Flour1 Cup Segmithali1 Cup Sugar1/2 Cup Salted Butter6 Eggs2 Tablespoons Milk3 Teaspoons Baking Powder2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract1/4 Teaspoon Almond ExtractRind From 1 Lemon, finely grated1 and 1/2 Cups Water1 and 1/2 Cups Sugar (1) 3-inch strips of Orange Rind2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix the flour, segmithali and baking powder in a medium sized bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar together in a large bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the lemon rind and vanilla and almond extracts. Slowly add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, about one cup at a time, until completely blended. Pour the mixture into a greased 9 x 13 casserole dish and bake in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. While the cake is baking, begin making the syrup. Combine the water, orange rind and remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from heat, stir in the lemon juice, and allow the syrup to cool while the cake finishes baking.Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and immediately pour the syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to stand for at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar sprinkled on top of the cake.