Let’s Make Chocolate Tahini Cake!

Try this recipe that combines nutty tahini with chocolate to make delicious mini cakes…

Tahini is a popular Israeli spread made out of crushed sesame seeds. Try this recipe brought to you by Molly Yeh and The Jewish Week that combines nutty tahini with chocolate to make delicious mini cakes!

Makes one 8-inch layer cake, one 13-inch by 9-inch sheet cake, or 24 mini cakes

Ingredients:

Cake

1¾ cups sugar
1¾ cups flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons baking soda
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup flavorless oil
½ cup tahini
¾ cup boiling water

Frosting

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup tahini
2 cups powdered sugar
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease and line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans or one 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, oil, and tahini. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Whisk in the boiling water.

Pour the batter into the cake pans or baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Begin checking for doneness at 28 minutes for round cakes and 32 minutes for a sheet cake.

Let cool in the pans or dish for 10 minutes and then remove to a rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and tahini until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Mix in the salt, cinnamon, and vanilla.

For a layer cake, level the round cakes and stack them with a layer of frosting between them. Frost the top and sides of the cake.

For a sheet cake, spread the frosting on top and cut into squares, or chill in the refrigerator until the frosting is firm and use a biscuit cutter to cut into mini cakes.

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