Baked Halva Recipe
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups semolina flour
- 1 cup finely chopped almonds
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup butter
- 3 eggs, beaten well
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 lemon, zested, or more to taste
- Syrup:
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups white sugar
- 3 whole cloves
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch cake pan.
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Mix in semolina and almonds.
- Combine 1 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add flour mixture alternately with milk, beating batter briefly between each addition. Stir in lemon zest.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
- Combine water, 3 cups sugar, cloves, and cinnamon in a saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves into a syrup. Pour syrup over cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cake cool, about 30 minutes. Cut into squares.