This tasty and easy to make chocolate cake has some interesting added flavors, other than the dominant chocolate. The dates add a nice deep sweetness and color to the cake itself, while the sesame halva adds a unique nutty flavor to the glaze. For a bit of spicy and aromatic kick, I’ve added a small amount of ground four peppers mix, along with vanilla and cinnamon, and a bit of espresso powder, which added a hint of coffee flavor.
The result is a moist, tasty and interestingly flavored cake. Try it and enjoy.
Happy New Year to all!
Notes:
* Medjool dates are fairly large, plump and soft dates. They are sweeter than most dates and are the best for baking. For best results, don’t substitute them with any other type of dates.
* Espresso powder is an intense, highly concentrated granulated coffee. If you can’t find it, double the amount with regular granulated coffee.
* Sesame Halva is made from sesame paste, mixed with sugar and natural stabilizers. It is available in ethnic stores, most supermarkets, or online.
Makes: 16
Prep time: 30 minutes
Baking time: 40 minutes
Cooking time for the glaze: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup pitted Medjool dates
½ cup boiling water
1 tsp espresso powder
¼ cup dark cocoa powder
3 oz (85 grams) semi-sweet dark chocolate, chopped
3 L eggs
½ cup oil
½ cup sour cream
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp 4 pepper mix
2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
For the glaze:
4 oz (115 grams) sesame Halva (see notes), crumbled
6 Tbs milk, at room temperature
1 Tbs date syrup (or honey)
2 Tbs dark cocoa powder
½ tsp espresso powder
2 Tbs sugar
1½ oz (40 grams) dark chocolate, chopped
½ stick (55 grams) butter, soft
½ cup slivered almonds
1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Brush a 12 cup Bundt pan with soft butter, and dust with a bit of cocoa powder. Turn the pan upside-down and tap on in, to get rid of access powder. Place in the fridge until using.
2. Mix the dates and boiling water in a bowl. Let sit for 3-4 minutes, to soften. Transfer to a food processor bowl, fitted with the metal blade. Add the chocolate, espresso powder and cocoa powder. Process until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sour cream, white and brown sugar. Add the date-chocolate mixture, vanilla, cinnamon and 4 pepper mix. Whisk and add the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Whisk well and pour the batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out almost dry. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, before carefully releasing it onto a rack, to cool completely.
4. The glaze: mix the Halva, milk, date syrup, cocoa powder, espresso powder and sugar in a small pot. Bring to the boil, whisking constantly, over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the chocolate. Whisk until the chocolate melts. Add the butter and mix well. Take off the heat and let stand for 10 minutes, mixing occasionally, until the glaze cools down and thickens a bit. Use a spatula to spread it all over the cake. Scatter the slivered almonds on top. Let set before slicing.
This looks delicious….Happy New Year huge hugs 🙂
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Thank you Sophie. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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Now there’s a cake to take on a trip! Great with a morning cup of coffee!!
The Espresso powder is still available at King Arthur Flour. They formerly shipped it free, but no more. I remember tossing my last jar of it because it hardened. It was really, really old by that time. I guess I just got tired of it after about ten jars. Thinking about restocking, but I’ve been using regular instant coffee with good results now, too. The plastic jars that it came in were just right right size for other spices, etc., so I still have/use them!
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Thank you Judi. The cake indeed pairs well with coffee.
Espresso powder is readily available in my local supermarket, so I never had to order it online. Regular instant coffee is a good substitute.
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I have to try this, looks delicious and got lots of chocolate on it, Happy New Year to you too
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Thank you Ina, I’m glad you liked the cake. Hope you’ll enjoy it. Happy New Year! 🙂
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So yummy it is
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Thank you Priyabrataa. 🙂
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Oh my! This looks heavenly!
Happy New Year! 🎈
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Thank you Tonya, I’m glad you liked the cake. Happy New Year to you too. 🙂
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Thank you, Ronit. 🙂
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Looks great!
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Thank you Kendall! 🙂
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Welcome!
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Yummy! Never thought to use halva as a glaze – thank you! Happy New Year x
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Thank you, I’m glad you liked the recipe. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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Ah Ronit, I have to make this halva glaze, but I am afraid I’ll taste it and taste it, and it won’t live to become glaze! I love halva, especially with chocolate!
Happy New Year – all the best!
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I can see that Dolly, this glaze is indeed quite addictive! I’m a big fan of Halva as well, though most of what’s available here is not as good as the fresh ones in Israel. But they’re good enough to be used in the glaze…
Happy New Year to you and your family. 🙂
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Thank you so much, dear Ronit! What we get here in kosher stores is Israeli halva of all different kinds, relatively fresh, considering the transportation time.
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That’s great! The ones I’ve found here are not as fresh.Or maybe I got spoiled by a place in the market in Jerusalem, that has the freshest ones, in various tasty flavors. So good! 🙂
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I think you can see me turning green with envy!
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lol check out this link, to get even greener! 😀
http://en.machne.co.il/category/the-halva-kingdom
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That’s it! Moving into this factory!
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lol Sounds good! 😀
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It definitely tastes delicious as good as it looks. Happy New Year to you and your family! 🙂 Hang
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Thank you Hang. The cake indeed was delicious and disappeared very quickly. Happy New Year to you and your family! 🙂
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Looks so delectable!! Happy New year:)
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Thank you Rashmi, I’m glad you liked the cake. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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This looks so tasty! Happy New Year Ronit!
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Thank you Kathryn. The cake indeed was very tasty and disappeared quickly. Happy New Year! 🙂
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Wow delicious cake, and the halva glaze looks awesome!!
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Thank you Krešo, I’m glad you liked the cake. The glaze adds such a unique flavor to it. 🙂
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Chocolate – chocolate and more chocolate! The cake sounds really interesting with lots of flavors going on and it looks so moist. Sesame halva is a new ingredient for me but sounds perfect on top of your cake. Happy New Year Ronit!
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Thank you Judi. The cake was very tasty and disappeared quickly. Sesame Halva is such a tasty treat. Well worth looking for. Happy New Year to you and your family! 🙂
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This sounds so decadent and looks very delicious. The ingredients are fantastic. Hope you have a great, happy and healthy New Year Ronit.
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Thank you Myra. The cake was indeed delicious and disappeared fast. Happy New Year and all the best wishes to you and your family. 🙂
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Wow ! This looks absolutely delicious & tempting !!
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Thank you Megala! 🙂
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Amazing combination of favorites! Thank you, Ronit. Hope 2018 is as sweet for you.
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Thank you. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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Looks delicious and more interesting than a usual chocolate cake. Happy New Year!
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Thank you Vanessa, I’m glad you liked the cake. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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Looks so delicious! ❤️
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Thank you Sha! 😉
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Sounds delightful!
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Thank you Swapana. 🙂
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Such lovely flavors. Happy New Year
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Thank you Vidya. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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This is amazing fusion food. Love the combination of flavours. I always loved chocolate dates so this recipe is a win win for me.
Ana👌✨
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Thank you Ana, I’m glad you liked the recipe. I too am a big fan of dates and chocolate. Such a tasty combination! 🙂
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Absolutely delicious! loved it
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Thank you Nisha, I’m glad to know. 🙂
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Halva as a glaze?Great idea!Yummy New Year by the way!
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Thank you Teti, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The halva adds such a wonderful flavor and texture to the glaze. Highly recommended! 🙂
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Ronit that’s one gorgeous cake! I love just about anything with dates, too. They make a cake so rich and moist.
Happy New Years!
Mollie
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Thank you Mollie, I’m glad you liked the recipe. The dates indeed added such wonderful flavor and color to the cake.
Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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Happy New Year dear. I wish I could have some cake with you!
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Thank you Annika, you’d be most welcome. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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Oh, you are killing me..with such a gorgeous cake…. and HALVA!! What a fantastic combination!
Anyway, Happy New Year Ronit Wishing you a year filled with peace, good health and happiness!
PS: I have brought back some Halva from my travel, of course 🙂
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lol I was thinking about your reaction to this tasty glaze. The halva adds such a unique flavor and texture to it. Now that you have halva, you can try it and hopefully enjoy it.
Happy New Year and all the best wishes to you too! 🙂
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Those combinations seem so wonderful. Loved the texture of this cake and the fact that it is a little different from regular chocolate cakes. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you Neha! I do try to come up with different flavors and textures when baking, and I’m glad you liked them. It’s my pleasure to share. 🙂
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This is immensely awesome and drooling. Cheers for the innovation.
Regards
blessmyfoodbypayal.com
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Thank you Payal, I’m glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
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Beautiful cake Ronit. Love that sesame halwa glaze. I am amazed how you work with so many novel ingredients.
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Thank you Indu, I’m glad you liked the cake. I enjoy experimenting with different ingredients. It makes life more interesting!
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Such a lovely cake, yummy! Happy New Year Ronit! I’m a little behind with reading your blog posts.😊
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Thank you Ursula! It’s not always easy to keep track of blogs, but I’m always glad to have your feedback. Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
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Thank you so much!😊
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How original! I love the idea of a halva glaze!! So happy to have found your blog 🙂
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Thank you and welcome. 🙂 The halva adds such a wonderful flavor to the glaze. Well worth trying! 🙂
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Awfully delicious! It should be.
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Thank you it was indeed very delicious. 🙂
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Yes I agree! Your recipes are really great!
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Thank you. 🙂
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You are welcome.
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