Tahini Cake

This cake has been on my list of recipe to bake since I first saw it in Carine Goren's Sweet Secrets 2 many months ago. I admit, the thought of putting tahini into a cake sort of threw me, but hey, when you're living in the Middle East, what doesnt have sesame in it?? Apparently, this combination only sounded bizarre to the Americans so I just went ahead and gathered all the ingredients. I was really nervous that this cake would scream sesame, but aside for the fact that the pan is oiled with tahini and sesame seeds for decoration, the flavor of the tahini is present but understated. This cake is super easy to make- all it takes is a bowl and a whisk. The resulting cake has unparalleled texture- incredibly moist and tender but sturdy. If you have a bottle of unseasoned tahini laying around, give this cake a try. You won't be disappointed.

Tahini Cake
adapted from Sweet Secrets 2

For the pan:
tahini
sesame seeds

Cake:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
splash vanilla
3/4 cup oil
1 cup orange juice
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup unseasoned tahini

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Brush a kugelhopf pan with tahini and then sprinkle on the sesame seeds. The tahini acts as butter to prevent sticking.

For the cake: Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla and beat until well blended. Drizzle in the oil, whisking all the while. Add the orange juice and blend. Add the dry ingredients and mix to combine. Pour in the tahini and mix just to incorporate. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth it. Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean, with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Cool briefly before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.