Halva-Pistachio Frozen Mousse Cake

Back in the days when I was a child in Israel, Halva was the official sweet treat. This sweet treat made from Tehina (aka sesame paste) and sugar, holds so many of my sweet childhood memories. I always was and still am crazy about Halva’s sweet complex flavor and its crumbly one of a kind texture…

When you visit the indoor markets of Israel you can see the beautiful towers of Halva in all kinds of flavors and toppings… To this day, Halva continues to inspire many innovating wonderful deserts and is still a “go to” raw product for many chefs in their sweet treat creations.

Halva as an afternoon sweet treat:

Our family was not so accustom to having a dessert after a meal, our sweet treat time was actually in the afternoon with a cup of sweet mint tea.

Don’t make up your mind based on one brand:

I noticed that Halva from different brands/countries have different flavors… My favorite of course is Israeli Halva (“Achva” is the major Israeli brand I usually find in stores here). If you haven’t tried Halva before or if you tried it once and formed an opinion, my recommendation is to try a few other brands until you find the one you like…

Thanks to Halva, this cake has a unique flavor and a playful texture; and with no eggs, no flour, no baking – it is simple to make and even kids are welcome to help.

You will need:

2 cups cold Heavy Whipping Cream

1 tbsp. Powdered Sugar

250 gr. Halva

1½ cup Mini Merengue Cookies

1 cup Unsalted (peeled) Pistachios

Let’s do this:

Put the merengue cookies into a plastic bag and smash them lightly leaving some medium chunks. You don’t need major force for this job so your hands or anything around will qualify for the task. I used the back of the measuring cup…

Firstly, make sure you are using UNSALTED pistachios.

It’s time to peel the pistachios, it is not hard work, but it does take time. I say- find someone who’s around and is willing to be rewarded with a great piece of cake later

I usually get my little helpers involved, helping is a lot of fun for them and this task in specific is a great fine motor skill workout!

We need to crush the pistachios to little pieces.

The pistachios also go into a sealed bag and crushing them will require more force than the merengue, so use something heavy. Meat tenderizer (smooth side) or a rolling pin will do the job, I use my coffee mug – it is heavy enough and it is always around. (of course pulsing in a food processor is also an option).

Next is the Halva: using a fork or a knife, scrape the Halva and crumble it into small crumbs.

Let’s prepare the cake pan!

You may use any shape you’d like; round, square, rectangle… You may also modify this recipe into individual fancy little servings – cupcake pan can be a lot of fun! I’m using a loaf pan of 8.5’’ by 4.5’’ by 2.5’’. Whichever pan you decided to use, we need to line it with plastic wrap and leave extra edges on all sides to cover the cake.

Once you have the plastic wrap in place, cover the bottom of the pan with the crushed pistachios and add on top some of the crashed merengue cookies (about 2 to 3 tbsp.). This bottom will become the top of the cake…

Now that you have all the ingredients ready and the pan ready, it is time to whip the cream.

Combine the whipping cream with the powdered sugar and whip away. Don’t over whip the cream- starting on low and going to high it all takes less then 5 minutes.

Combine the Halva crumbs with the whipped cream just fold it in carefully.

Add the merengue pieces continue to fold in carefully.

Pour the mixture into the plastic wrapped pan right onto the pistachio pieces. Using the extra plastic wrap on the sides fold over the cream, seal well and press down just a bit. Transfer to the freezer for at least 8 hours.

When you are ready to serve, remove the cake from freezer and from the pan. Carefully peel the plastic wrap from the bottom of the cake to the sides.

Get the serving tray and place it right on the bottom of the cake. Quickly flip the cake over and carefully continue to peel the plastic off from the top as well. Pistachios that fall from the top of the cake to the sides are beautiful, natural decoration.

Isn’t she a beauty…

Cut yourself a piece and enjoy….

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Quick Recipe:

Halva Pistachio Frozen Mousse Cake-

Crumble the Merengue leaving small chunks.

Break the Pistachios into small pieces.

Scrape / cut Halva into crumbs.

Line the cake pan with plastic wrap leaving extra edges for closing.

Sprinkle bottom of the pan with pistachio pieces and top with some merengue pieces as well.

Whip the Heavy Cream with Powdered Sugar.

Fold in carefully Halva crumbs.

Fold in carefully Merengue pieces.

Pour mixture to the cake pan and cover well with the rest of the plastic wrap.

Freeze for 8 hours.

Remove plastic wrap and transfer to a serving tray.