The hot and cold rule for syrup desserts

Whether a syrup dessert turns out crisp or soggy usually depends on the temperature difference. The basic rule is simple: if one is hot, the other must be cold.

Which dessert, which way?

• Baklava: cooled syrup over pastry fresh from the oven.
• Revani: cold syrup over hot cake, then at least an hour of resting.
• Tulumba: straight from the hot oil into cold syrup.
• Künefe: warm syrup over the hot dessert, in a thin layer that soaks in quickly.

Syrup texture

The syrup should thicken slightly. If it runs off the spoon like water, boil it a little longer. Adding lemon juice at the end stops the sugar from crystallising.

How much syrup?

The denser the dough, the more syrup it needs. If the dessert soaks up the syrup and a little is left in the tray, the amount is right. If a lot of liquid stays in the tray, use less next time.