Bosnian Sweetheart Cake (Bosanski Sevdidzan) or (Rahvanija)

[Olga Drozd]

Bosnian Sweetheart Cake (Bosanski Sevdidzan)

Bosanski Sevdidzan means sweetheart, love of my soul, from the Turkish sevda, love, and can, soul, life, also called ravani (Rahvanija).  You will need a scale for this recipe.

SYRUP:

85 grams sugar
200 mL water
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

CAKE:

100 grams unsalted butter, softened
75 grams superfine sugar (castor sugar)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 medium eggs

75 grams fine semolina
75 grams all purpose plain white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 Tablespoons milk OR 5 Tablespoons single cream (18% butterfat)

For the syrup: Bring sugar, 200 mL water and lemon juice to the boil over a low heat, then boil for 1/2 a minute.  Leave it to cool then add the vanilla.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven 350º F.

For the cake:  Beat the softened butter until light and pale, add the sugar and lemon zest and continue beating until the mixture is even lighter and almost white.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Sift together the semolina, flour and the baking powder.  Fold in the sifted semolina/ flour/baking powder alternately with the milk or cream to make a rather stiff batter which just drops from a spoon.

Turn into a buttered and floured 18 cm square cake tin, smooth the top and bake in the middle of a preheated oven at 180º C.(350º F./gas 4) for 55 minutes until browned. Turn off heat.

Remove cake from the oven and pour the cold syrup over the hot cake. Return to the oven, the heat switched off, and leave for at least 1 hour until cold, to allow the semolina grains to swell.  Serve on its own, or with whipped cream and candied fruits.  Serves 9.