Halva Cake with homemade raw tahini

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F) and grease Round pan of 24 cm.

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Whip the soft butter with the sugar, until pale and fluffy.

   BowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Cream the butter soft, at room temperature: cold butter doesn't take in air, and melted butter doesn't hold it.
3. 3
   Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until absorbed.

   💡One egg at a time, and only when the previous one is absorbed: that way the emulsion holds and the batter doesn't split into curds.
4. 4
   Grind the sesame seeds in a powerful blender about 3 minutes, until smooth paste forms.

   Blender

   💡At first the sesame looks like dry crumbs: keep grinding, scraping down the sides, and after a few minutes it releases its oil and turns liquid.

   💡In a food processor, grind in short pulses and check between pulses: it's easy to go from coarse to paste. (Sesame for tahini, on the other hand, is ground continuously.)
5. 5
   Taste and adjust the seasoning.
6. 6
   Add the tahini and vanilla and mix.
7. 7
   Add the flour and baking powder alternately with the milk, starting and ending with the flour, and Fold gently, just until no dry flour remains.

   Silicone spatula

   💡Fold with a spatula, in broad strokes from the bottom up, and stop when there's no dry flour: vigorous mixing of a batter with flour develops gluten.
8. 8
   Add the halva and Fold gently.

   Silicone spatula
9. 9
   Pour into the pan, and scatter the topping on top.

   Baking pan
10. 10
    Bake 35–40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

    OvenBaking pan

    💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
11. 11
    Let the cake cool 10 minutes in the pan, take it out and serve at room temperature.