Tahinicake Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 9-by-13 inch cake pan with melted butter and chill in the refrigerator until required.
• Beat tahini, sugar and orange zest 10 minutes, then gradually beat in the orange juice and orange-blossom water.
• Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, soda and allspice. Sift again and fold into the tahini mixture. Stir in the walnuts and raisins.
• Dust the chilled cake pan with flour and turn batter into the pan. Spread evenly and knock base of pan on a counter to settle.
• Bake about 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Invert cake pan onto a cooling rack and leave for 2 to 3 minutes before lifting pan from cake. Cool and cut into squares.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F (180C).
• If this cake is to be Lenten, then grease a loaf pan with olive oil, otherwise, use butter, and dust pan with flour.
• Prepare all dry ingredients in a bowl to have on hand.
• Beat tahini, sugar and orange rind until fluffy and creamy (about 8 minutes on high).
• Gradually add orange juice alternately with dry ingredients.
• Stir in walnuts and sultana raisins.
• Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes (until tester comes out clean).

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the milk, tahini, oil, vanilla and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Whisk in the coffee.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 28 minutes. Let cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes and then remove to the rack to cool completely.
• For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix together the butter and tahini until creamy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and mix to combine. Mix in the vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
• Put one cake layer on a serving plate and top with some of the frosting, then top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake and serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Burnt honey
• Bring honey to a boil in a medium saucepan (slightly larger than you think you'll need because the honey will bubble up) over medium heat and cook until golden brown and toasty smelling, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salt. Carefully pour in cream (this will help stop the cooking). The honey will bubble and sputter, so be careful. Stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until homogenous. Let burnt honey mixture cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Cover and chill until cold, at least 3 hours. Do ahead: Burnt honey mixture can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.
• Poached rhubarb
• Bring cardamom (if using), sugar, and ¾ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
• If using cardamom, remove from heat, cover, and let sit 15 minutes to infuse. Set syrup back over medium-high heat and return to a boil.
• Add rhubarb and cook until mixture just starts to bubble again; remove from heat. Cover and let sit until rhubarb pieces are softened but still hold their shape, 70-80 minutes. Do ahead: Rhubarb can be poached 1 day ahead. Transfer to an airtight container; cover and chill.
• Cake and assembly
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat cake pan with nonstick spray or lightly oil. Line bottom with a parchment paper round and spray or oil round. Pour sesame seeds into pan and gently shake and tilt pan to coat bottom and sides, pat out any excess. Sift cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
• Whisk egg yolks, tahini, 6 Tbsp. (75 g) sugar, and 3 Tbsp. room-temperature water in a small bowl to combine. Add dry ingredients and whisk well; set batter aside.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium speed just until foamy bubbles appear, about 15 seconds. With the motor running, sprinkle in remaining 2 Tbsp. (25 g) sugar a teaspoonful at a time, beating 15-20 seconds after each addition to incorporate before adding more. (Take the time to build a strong meringue and your cake will thank you for it.) Beat until meringue is glossy and stiff peaks form.
• Using a rubber spatula, add one third of meringue to reserved batter and fold until just streaky, taking care not to deflate meringue. Repeat two more times, dividing remaining meringue in half and mixing the final addition until no streaks remain. Immediately scrape batter into prepared pan and lightly tap pan on counter to evenly distribute and even out size of bubbles.
• Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and top is puffed and bounces back when gently pressed, 30-35 minutes. Immediately invert cake onto a wire rack, peel away parchment round, and turn right side up. Let cool (the top will flatten as it cools). Invert cake onto a cake or other large plate so sesame crust is on top.
• Beat chilled burnt honey mixture and cream in the clean bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (a medium bowl and a whisk will also work) until medium firm peaks form. (You want that perfect dollop consistency, where it holds its shape on a plate but still has some slack.)
• To serve, slice cake into six wedges with a serrated knife, using a long, gentle sawing motion. This will help preserve the crumb of the cake and give you a clean wedge. Divide, cut side down, among plates and spoon a couple of heaping tablespoonfuls burnt honey cream alongside. Using a fork, lift 3-4 rhubarb pieces out of the syrup and arrange next to cake. Drizzle a little rhubarb syrup over the cake if desired. Do ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead; keep tightly wrapped at room temperature. Burnt honey cream can be made 3 hours ahead; cover and chill. Beat again briefly before using if needed.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/ gas 5. Butter and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment.
• Beat the butter, sugar and tahini together until pale and smooth. Beat in the eggs a little at a time, then add the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ½ tsp salt together, then fold into the butter mixture. Stir in the milk. Carefully fold in the banana and sesame seeds, then spoon the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 mins until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then lift out and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream topping, beat all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, together until smooth. Spread this over the cooled cake, then scatter over the chocolate chips and cut the cake into squares or rectangles to serve.