Semolina cake with almond syrup (Revani)

A typical Greek cake that makes a nice dessert or a treat to go with a cup of coffee.

250 g flour
2 t baking powder
dash salt
6 eggs
500 g sugar
150 g corn or sunflower oil
125 g finely ground almonds
250 g Greek yogurt, at room temperature
1 Tablespoon lemon or orange zest
100 ml cognac, rosewater or orange juice
250 g semolina
syrup:
500 ml water
250 g sugar
juice of ½ lemon
4 Tablespoons rosewater, optional

Preheat oven to 175 °C. Butter a large cake tin.
For the cake, sift the flour with salt and baking powder into a bowl. Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites, gradually adding 250 g sugar, until stiff. Beat the egg yolks with the other 250 g of sugar until light. Add the oil, ground almonds and gradually beat in the flour mixture. Beat in the yogurt, zest, cognac (or alternative), and finally the semolina. Gently fold in the egg whites, and transfer the batter into the cake tin. Bake 45 minutes until golden brown and done. Allow the cake to cool.
To make the syrup, bring the water to a boil, add sugar and cook about 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and optional rosewater, and cook 1 minute more. Pour the syrup over the cake.