Hot Chocolate & Halva Pudding #TheCakeSliceBakers

 

Here we are the November edition of the Cake Slice Bakers. For 2020, we have been baking from The New Way to Cake: Simple Recipes with Exceptional Flavor by Benjamina Ebuehi.* I can't believe this year is almost over. I have really enjoyed this book and can't wait to see which book is selected for 2021.

In this group, we are given a selection of three cake recipes. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the links below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

Our choices for November 2020 were...

Hazelnut, Pear & Espresso Cake

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs
• Making Miracles
• My Recipe Reviews

Hot Chocolate and Halva Pudding

• A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• A Little Bit of All Right
• Amandie Bakes
• Sweet Sensations

Double Ginger and Grapefruit Cakes

• Camille Cooks
• Karen's Kitchen Stories

Hot Chocolate & Halva Pudding

mildly adapted from Ebuehi's recipe

A few of the bloggers were posting questions about where to find halva. Karen mentioned that she can find it in the Jewish section of her grocery store. I decided to make my own. You can read that in my Fiori di Sicilia Halva post. I also made minor adaptations to her recipe in that I skipped the instant espresso powder mixed in water and just used espresso; and I reduced the sugar in the pudding and subbed in olive oil instead of melted butter.

Ingredients makes a 9" square pudding

Cake

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons tahini
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped halva (I used my own Fiori di Sicilia Halva)
• 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  
• Also needed: 9" baking dish, parchment paper

Sauce

• 4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 cup hot espresso (you can substitute 1 cup boiling water and 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder)

Procedure

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, olive oil, tahini, and vanilla extract. Whisk the milk mixture until well-combined and smooth. Gently stir in the flour mixture until everything is just moistened. Fold in the halva and the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into the parchment paper-lined baking dish.

Place the cocoa powder and brown sugar in a small mixing bowl, or measuring cup with a spout. Carefully pour in the hot espresso and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Pour the espresso sauce over the batter and place the pudding in the oven. Bake until the cake is puffy and just set, approximately 30 to 35 minutes.

There will be a pool of chocolate sauce beneath the surface of the cake.

This was such a rich dessert that we only ate small portions. But it was delicious! And we will definitely be making it again soon.

Well, that's a wrap for the November #TheCakeSliceBakers. Next month is a free-bake, Felice wrote: "Our tradition is free choice from our current book for the last month, and I can't wait to see which one we all choose. It can be something completely new, one that was suggested in a month but was not baked by you, or a repeat that you just can't forget." I've already baked mine and I can't wait to share it. Honestly, I can't remember if it was ever assigned - I'd have to go back through my notes - but it called my name when I flipped through the book. Stay tuned...

*This blog currently has a partnership with Amazon.com in their affiliate program, which gives me a small percentage of sales if you buy a product through a link on my blog. It doesn't cost you anything more. If you are uncomfortable with this, feel free to go directly to Amazon.com and search for the item of your choice.