Tahini Cake Food

TAHINI CHIFFON CAKE WITH BURNT HONEY CREAM AND POACHED RHUBARB

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.

CHOCOLATE TAHINI CAKE WITH TAHINI FROSTING

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.

BLACKBERRY-TAHINI YOGURT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 9"-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray; line bottom with a parchment paper round. Lightly coat parchment with nonstick spray. Mix cardamom and 2 Tbsp. sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, 1 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, yogurt, oil, and citrus zest and whisk to combine. Switch to a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and gradually work in dry ingredients, mixing until smooth. Fold in berries; scrape batter into prepared pan.
• Mix tahini, a pinch of salt, and remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar in another small bowl. Drizzle evenly over batter; sprinkle reserved cardamom sugar over top.
• Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in pan. Invert onto a plate, then turn right side up.
• Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

TAHINI BANANA CAKE

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.

TAHINI CHOCOLATE CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use butter to grease 6 half-cup muffin molds or similar, or use smaller molds. Dust molds with cocoa and sprinkle the sesame seeds in the bottom of each. Sift together remaining 1/3 cup cocoa with the flour and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Melt chocolate and remaining 10 tablespoons butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, or in a small, heavy saucepan on very low heat. (Watch carefully if using a saucepan.) When almost completely melted, remove from heat and stir until smooth. Set aside.
• Using a whisk or electric beater, whisk eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stir a little of this mixture into the tahini to lighten it, then stir the tahini into the egg mixture. Stir in the cooled chocolate mixture. Fold in the cocoa mixture.
• Pour the batter into the molds and set molds on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake 12 to 14 minutes, less for smaller molds. A skewer or toothpick inserted in the middle should not come out clean.
• Cool 20 minutes or more before unmolding. Dust tops with lime zest and serve with crème fraîche or ice cream.

TAHINI CAKE

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.

TAHINI-WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 7-cup bundt pan with nonstick spray and sprinkle the sesame seeds on the walls of the pan. Set aside.
• Beat the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy and light in color, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, then mix in the milk, oil and vanilla. Add the tahini and mix well. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until combined. Gently fold in the walnuts.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with little to no crumbs, 35 to 45 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely.

CHOCOLATE-TAHINI FUDGE CAKE

Steps:

• Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Grease a 9-inch cake pan with cooking spray or butter. Line the bottom with a parchment round. Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl set over a saucepan with barely simmering water over medium-low heat, add the butter, tahini and chocolate chips. Gently cook, stirring occasionally, until just melted and smooth. Whisk in the granulated sugar until combined. Remove from the heat. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and salt and stir to combine. Add the flour and mix until just combined.
• Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few fudgy crumbs and the sides pull slightly away from the pan. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
• To assemble the cake, remove the cooled cake onto a platter or cake stand. Cut and serve with a dollop of Tahini Whipped Cream and crumbled halva on top.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the heavy cream, powdered sugar and salt. Beat on low speed until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium. Beat to medium peak and then add the tahini. Beat until smooth and just under a stiff peak.