Gingerbread ravani bundt cake

Put the granulated sugar, water, cinnamon stick, orange peel, orange juice and molasses in a saucepan and cook until it comes to a boil and the sugar dissolves.

Off the heat, stir in the honey and the vanilla extract and set aside to cool. Ginger slices can go in for a warm spicy flavour.

Beat the room temperature eggs with the sugar on high speed three or four minutes until almost tripled in volume.

Whisk the semolina flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and orange zest together.

Add the olive oil, molasses and vanilla to the fluffy eggs and whisk on low until combined.

Add the flour mixture a little at a time, just until everything comes together.

Fold in the floured golden raisins, and the chopped pecans or walnuts if using.

Grease the bundt pan well with melted butter, flour it and tap out the excess, then add a little baking spray.

Transfer all the batter to the pan and set it on a baking tray.

Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden all around and a toothpick comes out clean.

Rest the cake in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out onto a platter.

Warm the syrup and pour it carefully over the cake; serve the leftover syrup on the side, since a cake out of its pan cannot absorb it all.

Variation: for a moister, juicier traditional ravani, skip the bundt pan, bake in a nine by 13 inch pan and pour the syrup over the hot cake straight out of the oven.