Name: Halvas Fourno
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: serving
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 115 g butter unsalted, softened; 1 cup castor sugar; 1 cup semolina; 110 g hazelnuts roasted, ground; 2 tsp Baking powder; 3 eggs lightly beaten; 2 Tbs orange zest only; 4 Tbs orange juice; yoghurt to serve; honey; 3 cup sugar; 4 cinnamon stick; 1 Tbs orange peel, julienned; 80 ml lemon juice; 125 ml orange blossom water; 60 g almonds flaked; 70 g hazelnuts roasted, coarsely chopped

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Ingredients (17)

115 g	butter — unsalted, softened
1 cup	castor sugar
1 cup	semolina
110 g	hazelnuts — roasted, ground
2 tsp	Baking powder
3	eggs — lightly beaten
2 Tbs	orange — zest only
4 Tbs	orange juice
	yoghurt — to serve
	honey
3 cup	sugar
4	cinnamon — stick
1 Tbs	orange — peel, julienned
80 ml	lemon juice
125 ml	orange blossom water
60 g	almonds — flaked
70 g	hazelnuts — roasted, coarsely chopped

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Method:

Cake:
Preheat the oven to 210°C
Lightly grease a 23cm square baking tin and line the base with baking paper.
Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl until smooth.
Stir in the semolina, ground hazelnuts and baking powder. Fold in the eggs, zest and juice until well combined.
Spoon into the tin, smooth the surface and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and just set. Leave in the tin to cool.

Syrup:
Place the sugar and 830ml water in a saucepan. Add the cinnamon sticks and heat gently, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat and boil rapidly without stirring for 5 minutes. Pour into a heat proof measuring jug then return half to the saucepan. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until thickened and reduced to about 2/3 cup. Stir in the orange rind.

Add the lemon juice and orange blossom water to the syrup in the jug. Pour over the cake in the tin. When absorbed turn the plate out onto a large flat plate. Slice into 4 equal strips, and then slice each strip diagonally into 3 diamond shaped pieces. Discard the end scraps, but keep the pieces touching together.

Topping:
Combine the almonds and hazelnuts and scatter over the cake. Pour the thickened syrup and orange rind over the combined nuts and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Transfer slices to plates and serve with Greek Yoghurt and a squeeze of honey.

Reprinted with permission of Janice Tripepi.
To visit Janice Tripepi’s
blog, click here.