Tag Archives | Turkish desserts

Semolina sponge cake with syrupy orange slices; Portakalli Revani and New Online Turkish Cooking Class!

We Turks love Revani, our deliciously moist semolina sponge cake in light syrup – a popular recipe from my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table and at my cookery classes too. Recently, I came across a lovely Olive oil clementine upside down cake by Martha cooks @marthacollison, where she added clementine slices to her cake. This inspired me to have a go for my version, using semolina and orange slices.

There are many versions of Revani and traditionally when made with orange, often the zest of orange and in some cases, orange juice is used in the recipe in Turkey. With my version here, I used thinly sliced oranges cooked in syrup, as well as the fresh orange juice in the cake batter. Grainy semolina and ground almond gave a light, moist texture to the cake and the syrupy orange slices over the top of the cake made it impressive enough to serve your guests, with a citrusy, refreshing taste. I used a mixture of demerara and regular white sugar in the syrup. I like demerara’s crunchy taste and texture, and the darker colour demerara gives; you can use regular white sugar instead for the whole amount. Please to use freshly squeezed orange juice in the syrup, as it does make a difference.

This lovely, light and so easy to make Semolina cake with zesty orange slices, Portakalli Revani, can be a wonderful addition to your festive table, or to make any day special. Serve with Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or strained plain yoghurt, warm or at room temperature. This cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Semolina sponge cake with syrupy orange slices – Portakalli Revani

This lovely, light and so easy to make semolina cake with zesty orange slices, Portakalli Revani, can be a wonderful addition to your festive table, or to make any day special. Serve with Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or strained plain yoghurt, warm or at room temperature. This cake will keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Desserts and cakes

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 8

Ingredients

150g /5 ¼oz coarse semolina
30g / 1oz ground almond
170g / 6oz sugar
5ml / 1tsp baking powder
3 medium free range eggs, beaten
225g / 8oz plain whole milk yoghurt
60ml / 4tbsp light olive oil
For the syrup:
1 medium orange, thinly sliced into round discs (skin on)
100g/ 3 ½ oz demerara sugar
150g/ 5 ¼ oz white sugar
85ml/ 3fl oz freshly squeezed orange juice (from 1 large orange)
285ml / 10fl oz water
Ground pistachio nuts or desiccated coconut to serve (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180C / 350F
Grease a 20cm round cake thin with a little olive oil and line with baking parchment.
Make the syrup first. Squeeze the juice of one large orange and pour it through a sieve to get rid of the pulp. Combine the demerara sugar, regular sugar, orange juice and water in a medium to large pan. Stir and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved. Then add the orange slices and simmer gently for 30 minutes, until the orange slices softened.
Use a slotted spoon to gently remove the slices and arrange them side by side in the prepared cake tin. Reserve the syrup and cool aside. You can prepare the syrup with the orange slices this way a day ahead of time.
Beat the eggs and combine with the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat and combine well for a few minutes, until the sugar dissolves. Then add the olive oil, yoghurt, semolina, ground almond and the baking powder and beat well. Combine well until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30-35 minutes, until the cake is golden brown. To check; insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake, if it comes out clean, that means the cake is cooked. If not, bake for another 3-5 minutes.
Using a large spoon, drizzle the cooled syrup all over the hot semolina cake. Let the cake absorb the syrup and cool down for 10 minutes in the tin. Then carefully turn the cake out on a large flat circle serving plate. Gently remove the baking parchment to reveal the glossy top with glazed orange slices.
Slice and enjoy warm or cold (I love mine warm), sprinkled with ground pistachios or desiccated coconut over if you like.Turkish thick (or regular) clotted cream, kaymak, crème fraiche or plain strained yoghurt goes well by the side. This cake keeps well for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Afiyet Olsun.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book and Apron as Foodie Gifts!

It’s the gift giving season; Signed copies of Ozlem’s Turkish Table cookery book could make a lovely gift to a foodie, you can order a signed copy here, it is delivered worldwide including the US.

We are also delighted to offer you this special Ozlem’s Turkish Table apron, just in time for the holiday gift giving season. It is special to my heart, as it is made in Turkey, with my hometown Antakya’s celebrated daphne leaves in the hand embroidered design – this lovely apron could also make a wonderful gift for; you can get yours at this link. Delivered worldwide including the US.

Ozlem’s Turkish Table online cookery class

– Healthy Turkish food made easy –

Date : Saturday January 16^th 2021

Time: 5.30pm – 7pm (GMT)

Cost: 30 GBP per person

Stuffed aubergines/eggplants – Karniyarik; a delicious main from Ozlem’s Turkish Table

Please join our small size online cookery class, where together we will make the Turkish classic, Stuffed aubegine/eggplant with minced/ground meat and vegetables, Karniyarik, as well as its vegan version with a filling of green lentils, tomatoes, onions in it, Mercimekli Karniyarik. We will also make the Cucumber and yoghurt, Cacik dip and finish off with Rice pilaf with pinenuts, currants and herbs, Ic Pilav. It will be a complete meal and you will get plenty of ahead of time preparation tips, ideas for substitution and with stories from my homeland.

My very best wishes to you all for the festive season and the New Year, in good health and happiness. Many thanks for joining me to enjoy and share my homeland’s delicious, wholesome Turkish cuisine.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Sutlu Nuriye; Lighter Baklava with Hazelnuts in Milky Syrup

By Ozlem Warren on December 17, 2014 in Cakes and Desserts, Turkish Festive Dishes 20

Sutlu Nuriye; lighter baklava with hazelnuts in milky syrup

Sutlu Nuriye is a delicious Turkish dessert; similar to baklava but lighter with its milk based syrup. Crushed hazelnuts are used in the filling here and works wonderfully with the milky syrup, which gives Sutlu Nuriye a whitish look. Sutlu Nuriye is lighter, creamer than baklava and really easy to make at home, using filo pastry sheets. They have been a huge hit with the children, as well as adults in our home, great for entertaining.

Pour in the luke warm milky syrup over cooled cooked filo pastry and let the pastry to soak the milky syrup for 35- 40 minutes.

Sutlu Nuriye believed to be created due to the supply shortage in 1980s. Rather than the expensive pistachios, a baklava producer used hazelnuts and flavored with milk for lighter syrup. The result has been today’s popular Sutlu Nuriye, a delicious, lighter version of the regular baklava.

Light, melt-in-the mouth Sutlu Nuriye, a variation of baklava in milky syrup.

You can prepare Sutlu Nuriye a day ahead of time and keep it in a cool place; always serve at room temperature. I hope you enjoy this soft, light, melt-in-the mouth Sutlu Nuriye, a variation of baklava in milky syrup. Turkish coffee or Turkish tea, cay aside complements Sutlu Nuriye very well.

My very best wishes to you all for the festive season. Many thanks for your company, recreating my Turkish recipes at your homes, your kind share and comments, I greatly appreciate it. It’s been a pleasure enjoying Turkish cuisine with you all and I look forward to sharing many more recipes in the New Year. I wish you all a happy, healthy new year in good company and delicious food.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

3.0 from 2 reviews

Sutlu Nuriye; Lighter Baklava with Hazelnuts in Milky Syrup

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish Desserts

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 30 pieces

Ingredients

270 gr x 2 packs of filo pastry sheets (12 filo sheets in total; each sheet 480 mm x 255 mm each)
200 gr/4 oz. /a little less than 1 cup unsalted butter, melted
340 gr/ 12 oz. chopped/crushed hazelnuts
For the syrup:
16 fl. oz. / 2 cups water
12 fl oz. / 1 ½ cup whole milk
270 gr/ 1⅓ cup sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180 C/ 350 F
Take out the fresh filo pastry sheets from the fridge and bring to room temperature 20 minutes prior using. To thaw frozen filo sheets, it is best to place them in the fridge the night before or bring it to room temperature 2 hours before using.
Grease the baking dish with the melted butter.
Place two filo pastry sheets to the baking dish (trim the sheets at the edges if necessary to fit into your baking dish) and brush with the melted butter.
Place 2 more filo pastry sheets and brush with the melted butter. Place another two sheets over them and brush with melted butter.
Crush the hazelnuts in a food processor, carefully pulsing a just few times or chop by hand (take care for the hazelnuts not go too small pieces or fine).
Spread the chopped hazelnuts evenly on the 6th sheet of buttered filo pastry.
Lay two more sheets of filo pastry and brush with melted butter. Repeat this 2 more times, buttering every two sheets, until you reach 12th sheet.
Brush the 12th sheet of filo pastry with butter and ease the sheets into the corners and trim the edges if necessary.
Then using a sharp knife, cut right through all the layers to form small square pieces. It should make about 30 pieces in total.
Bake the pastry in the preheated oven (180 C/ 350 F) for 25 minutes, until golden at top.
While the pastry is baking, prepare your syrup.
Put the sugar into a heavy pan, pour in water and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Once the sugar is dissolved, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour in the milk to the pan, give a good stir to the syrup and turn the heat off. Leave the pan aside to cool down; the syrup needs to be luke warm to pour over cooked filo pastry.
Once the filo pastry is cooked and golden at top, take out of the oven and leave it aside to cool down for 15 minutes.
Slowly pour in the luke warm milky syrup over cooled cooked filo pastry and let the pastry to soak the milky syrup for 35- 40 minutes.
Once milky syrup is absorbed by the pastry, take out the Sutlu Nuriye squares and serve at room temperature.
You can prepare Sutlu Nuriye a day ahead of time and keep in a cool place, covered.

Homemade Cezerye; Caramalised Carrot Paste Delight with Nuts

By Ozlem Warren on April 28, 2014 in Cakes and Desserts, Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts 35

Cezerye; Caramalised carrot paste with nuts

Have you ever tried the delicious Cezerye dessert? A specialty from Mersin region at southern Turkey, Cezerye is a delicious confectionery made of carrots, nuts and sugar, coated with desiccated coconut flakes. They are utterly delicious, healthy and also known to be an aphrodisiac.

Spread the cooked carrot & nut paste evenly and tightly, making sure they stay intact.

With my roots going back to southern Turkey, Antakya, I grew up sampling the very best Cezerye from the nearby Mersin region. Such a delicious and healthy snack, it was always available whenever we wanted some for a treat, therefore I haven’t really thought of making them when I was home. But living abroad and not having an access to these scrumptious treats make you brave enough to have a go at them, like making homemade Turkish Delights. I am delighted to report you that compared to making Turkish Delights, Cezerye is so much easier to make, lighter and equally delicious. They are traditionally made with hazelnuts; I used walnuts for my Cezerye recipe and they were delicious. My children absolutely loved them!

I am passionate about healthy, delicious Turkish cuisine, and wholesome desserts like this Cezerye; over 90 authentic Turkish recipes are included at my cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland. Signed copies are available at this link, if interested, and delivered worldwide.

Cezerye; delicious carrot paste with walnuts from Mersin, Turkey.

Carrots have never been sweeter; hope you can have a go and treat yourself, family and friends with these delicious carrot delights. Cezerye keeps well in an air tight container for a week.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.9 from 8 reviews

Homemade Cezerye; Caramalised Carrot Paste Delight with Nuts

A delicious and healthy caramalised carrot paste & walnuts dessert from Mersin, Turkey. I hope you can have a go and treat yourself, family and friends with these delicious carrot delights. Cezerye keeps well in an air tight container for a week.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish desserts

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 6

Ingredients

3 medium to large carrots (app. 400 gr), cleaned and grated
200 gr / 7 oz. / 1 cup white sugar (or 1¼ cup brown sugar)
50 gr / 2 oz. walnuts, chopped into small pieces
8 fl. oz./1 cup water
50 gr/ 2 oz./1/3 cup desiccated coconut flakes to decorate
Bowl of water to shape cezerye squares or balls

Instructions

Place the grated carrots, ½ cup water and sugar in a wide, heavy pan.
Cook over medium heat, uncovered, stirring often. Cook this way for about 30 minutes or until all the liquid evaporated.
Stir in the rest of the ½ cup water and cook again on medium heat, stirring continuously (carrots also release their own juice, therefore I prefer to add the liquid a step at a time so that the carrots won’t become mushy).
Cook the carrots until all the juice evaporated and they are softened, this should take another 30 minutes. Using your stirring spoon, mash the cooked carrots to turn into a thick, chunky paste. At this point, they should also thicken, start to caramalise and get sticky (you can take a little bit between your fingers to test whether it sticks or not). Turn the heat off.
Stir in the chopped walnuts to the carrot paste and mix well. Again using your stirring spoon, blend them all well and turn into a thick paste.
Cover a small rectangular dish or tray with parchment paper. Spread the carrot paste evenly and tightly, making sure they stay intact, with a height of 1,5 cm (0.6”).
Cover with a cling film and rest the mixture to settle for 2 hours in fridge.
After 2 hours, start shaping the carrot paste. Have a bowl of water near you. Wet your hands, take a dessert spoonful and shape into small round balls. Or wet your knife and cut into small squares.
Spread the desiccated coconut flakes on a dry surface and coat the carrot balls and squares with the flakes to coat all over.
Cezerye is ready to serve. Cezerye keeps well in an air tight container for a week.