Add sweet sesame halva to your next batch of vanilla cake and you will be making this pistachio halva cake over and over again. This moist and delicious cake takes just 10 minutes to prep and 30 minutes to bake.
Table of Content
Halva is made from sesame seeds - similar to tahini, which is also made from sesame seeds. Some say halva is the sweet version of tahini.
The first time I was introduced to it, was when I was dating my husband about almost 20 years ago. He ordered an halva ice cream. It was just vanilla ice cream with lots of halva shavings on it. But, it tasted so, so delicious! I was in love! Since then, I've been adding it in almost everything from cakes, cookies, tarts, ice cream, brownies, bonbons, and desserts.
Why make this cake?
- You don't need any special ingredients. If you have halva on hand, the rest of the ingredients are simple pantry staples.
- Also, the process is very simple and easy. In fact, I am using a stand mixer in the video but you could also use just a bowl and whisk.
- And the recipe is very versatile. I've used the same recipe to make my apricot cake as well as upside down plum cake.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Halva - You get halva in various flavors and you can choose your favorite. I am using pistachio halva today.
- All-purpose flour - Simple, plain flour works just fine for this recipe. No need for any cake flour or self-raising flour.
- Sugar - I am using both white and brown sugar. The white sugar gives a lightly crispness while the brown sugar adds a nice caramel flavor to the cake.
- Sour cream - Gives a nice soft crumb and texture to the cake. If you don't have sour cream, Greek yogurt is often a great substitute. You can also make homemade sour cream
- Fat - I am using a combination of butter and oil. Butter for that rich flavor and oil as it keeps the cake moist.
- Vanilla - You can use vanilla extract, bean paste, and vanilla sugar.
Step by step instructions
- Preheat the oven at 325°F / 165°C / Gas mark 3.
- Chop the halva into small pieces or crumble it with your hands. Set aside.
- Grease and link a 9 x 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal. You can also use an 8-inch round cake pan.
Pro tip - I am using a square pan with a parchment sleeve for easy removal.
- In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, oil, and both sugars until light and airy.
Pro tip - The oil will create emulsification with the batter so it looks more whipped rather than fluffy. - Then, add the eggs, one at a time, to the batter making sure to combine each well into the batter. Next, add the flour mixture and sour cream in three batches.
Pro tip - Make sure each egg is well incorporated before you add the next one to prevent the batter from curdling.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spread with an offset spatula towards the edges. Top with the crumbled halva all over.
Pro tip - I like to leave the halva on top so it is baked partially immersed in the cake. But, you can certainly mix it up with the cake batter too.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. The top will be darker in color. Once baked, set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- When cooled, cut the cake into 16 squares as shown in the video. You can dust with powdered sugar but I like the presence of the dark halva on top.
More coffee cakes
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe
- Cinnamon Apple Cake
- Coffee Crumble Cake
- Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- See all coffee cake recipes
Frequently asked questions
This cake will keep at room temperature for 2 days and in the fridge for 5 to 6 days. Make sure to cover the cake with plastic to prevent it from drying out.
Halva is made from sesame seeds paste or tahini and sugar. It may or may not have nuts added to it.
You can make halva at home.
- Make sugar syrup with 1 cup sugar with ¼ cup water. Boil until it reaches 245 F.
- Then poured the syrup into 1 cup tahini paste and add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- ½ cup of nuts such as pistachio can be added now too.
- Pour the mixture into a parchment-lined 8 x 8-inch square pan and cool completely.
- Once cooled cut into slices.
This recipe works best with eggs, but I do have an eggless vanilla cake. Perhaps you can use that for the batter along with the chopped apricots. Then top with sliced apricots as we did in this recipe.
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Printable Recipe
Pistachio Halva Cake
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Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
- 2 cup (250 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon Baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 2 Eggs (Large)
- 4 tablespoon (60 ml) Cooking oil
- 4 tablespoon (60 g) Unsalted Butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup (100 g) White sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) Brown
- ½ cup (120 ml) Sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 8 oz (226 g) Pistachio halva (or other variety)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 325°F / 165°C / Gas mark 3.
- Chop the halva into small pieces or crumble it with your hands. Set aside.
- Grease and link a 9 x 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper for easy removal. You can also use an 8-inch round cake pan. Pro tip - I am using a springform pan but you can also use a regular square pan with a parchment sleeve for easy removal.
- In a bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, oil, and both sugars until light and airy. Pro tip - The oil will create emulsification with the batter so it looks more whipped rather than fluffy.
- Then, add the eggs, one at a time, to the batter making sure to combine each well into the batter. Next, add the flour mixture and sour cream in three batches. Pro tip - Make sure each egg is well incorporated before you add the next one to prevent the batter from curdling.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, spread with an offset spatula towards the edges. Top with the crumbled halva all over.Pro tip - I like to leave the halva on top so it is baked partially immersed in the cake. But, you can certainly mix it up with the cake batter too.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. The top will be darker in color. Once baked, set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- When cooled, cut the cake into 16 squares as shown in the video. You can dust with powdered sugar but I like the presence of the dark halva on top.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients especially butter and eggs as these can cause the batter to curdle.
- Add eggs one at a time making sure each is well emulsified before you add the next. This will give a light and airy cake.
- The halva can be combined with the cake batter before pouring into the cake pan.
- Coffee cakes taste best in the first two days. This cake can be kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Wrap the cake well to prevent drying out.
- This cake can also be frozen in the freezer for up to a month. Personally, I like to cut the cake into slices and place the slices in a freezer-safe storage bag. Then take only as many slices as I need for my tea time snack.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Ellen Sandin
Marvelous cake! Easy to make and absolutely delicious. I didn't have sour cream so I used whole milk yogurt (non-Greek) and it came out great. Highly highly highly recommend.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Ellen. Happy you enjoyed this recipe.