Hanna's Heavenly Halva Einkorn Cake

I LOVE HALVA. Growing up my dad bought me a bar after breakfast at Murray's Delicatessen every Sunday. This recipe combines my beloved halva with einkorn flour - both from ancient seeds, both brimming with singular flavor and texture. It's adapted from "Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed," by Rachel Simons, my friend and founder of the inspiring brand Seed + Mill. 

Einkorn's earthy depth underpins the savory-sweet nuttiness of sesame. The combo is insane. Rachel's friend and recipe blogger Hanna Geller created the recipe as a twist on a traditional coffee cake. Her stroke of genius: The crumble is crushed halva, pistachio and chocolate! The coup de grâce: a tahini glaze that'll knock your 🧦 off.

- Heidi D., Brooklyn, NY

YIELD: One 10-inch Bundt Cake or 13x9 sheet cake

INGREDIENTS

For the Halva Crumble

  • 100g (3½ oz) halva
  • 100g (3½ oz) 70% dark chocolate, finely chopped
  • 55g (2 oz) toasted pistachios, finely chopped

For the Cake

  • 150g (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
  • 200g (1 cup) granulated sugar
  • 100g (½ cup) light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs, at room temperature
  • 11/4 cups sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 300g (2 1/2 cups) Unified Mills Einkorn Flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Tahini Glaze
  • 170g (1 cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
  • 60ml (¼ cup) whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

  • Make the crumble: In a small bowl, combine halva, chocolate, and pistachios. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F). Liberally grease a 10-inch Bundt pan or grease & line a 13 by 9-inch loaf pan.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl with a flexible spatula as needed and beating well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, cardamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the batter and beat on low speed until just combined.
  • Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle all but 2 tablespoon of the crumble over the top of the batter, then spoon in the remaining batter. Bake until a skewer comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes.
  • Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Don’t let this cake sit in the pan for more than 20 minutes or it may get stuck.
  • While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, milk, tahini, and maple syrup until smooth. Drizzle the glaze over the slightly warm cake and top with the reserved 2 tablespoons of crumble.