Tahini Cake with Orange, Raisins and Walnuts
I’ve been wanting to share this interesting cake with you for a while. It’s made without butter, eggs, dairy or even oil!
A very popular choice with many of my Greek clients at this time of year (due to fasting and avoiding these ingredients – and more) it was actually one of my lovely clients who was kind enough to share her version of this delicious cake with me.
You may have already guessed from the name that tahini replaces the butter/oil in this cake. And it does a mighty fine job.
This version also includes pumpkin puree, which adds a delightful orange hue, a lovely texture and keeps the cake from going dry.
Flavoured with fresh orange zest, cinnamon and studded with raisins and walnuts, this cake has quickly become a favourite in our house.
This cake is actually more like a quick bread – as the wet ingredients are combined in one bowl, the dry in another. Then everything is folded together until just combined. No over mixing allowed as when you do this, you work the gluten in the flour and your cake end up tough, which is definitely not a good thing!
If you’re giving this recipe a try, feel free to tweak it as you please. But really, there’s no need. It’s rather delicious just as it is!
And if you like baking healthy cakes, slices and more, you may be interested in my new healthy baking ebook coming out in the next day or so. I will let you know as soon as its done 🙂
In the meantime, I do hope you enjoy this….
- ½ cup (140 g) tahini
- ⅔ cup (100 g) sugar
- 1⅓ cups (375 g) pumpkin puree
- zest of one orange
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 cup plain flour
- ½ cup wholemeal self raising flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, optional
- 1 teaspoon bicarb soda
- 1 cup (100 g) chopped walnuts
- ½ cup (76 g) raisins
- Heat oven to 170 degrees C and line a 22 x 12 cm loaf tin with greaseproof paper
- In a large bowl, whisk together tahini, sugar, pumpkin puree and orange zest. Slowly add orange juice, mix until smooth, then set aside.
- Sift together the plain flour, self raising flour, cinnamon, cardamom and bicarb soda. Add walnuts and raisins and stir through.
- Tip dry ingredients into tahini mix and carefully fold through until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour mixture into loaf tin and smooth over the top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in tin for 5-10 minutes before transferring to wire rack.
- Cool completely before cutting.