Tahini Marble Bundt Cake

Free from: dairy, egg, peanut, cashew, fish, shell-fish, soy, animal products, animal by-products.

This cake recipe was born as a result of a nasty cough I’ve had for the last 2 weeks! Why do coughs last so darn long?? And once one of us is sick, everyone gets their turn no matter how hard we try to fight it. The joys of back to school!

I know what you’re thinking, what does cake, tahini, and a cough have anything to do with one another? Read on to find out ;)

For those of you who may not know what tahini is, it’s the arabic word for sesame seed paste or butter. Most notably famous for being the main ingredient in hummus. It’s also used in many other delicious foods, like dips for fish and sauce in salads. It’s quite versatile in nature and its taste is pleasing to most. Some people {including my husband} would describe the taste as bitter although I whole heartedly disagree! But it could be because I’m so used to the taste. It’s delicious and it brings back such fond memories of my childhood. And here’s a confession: I eat tahini straight out of the jar! and I love every bite of it. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say, if calories weren’t a factor in my daily food consumption, I’d happily eat the entire jar…in like three sittings! One sitting is unrealistic, but three is believable.

As children, and at the slightest onset of a cough, my mother’s feet would pitter-patter through the hallway and into the kitchen, reaching for the jar of tahini and a hefty tablespoon in tow, making her way back to her sore-throat grumpy kids. As we got older, it became our first line of defence against a nasty cough. I still do it to this day for myself and my own family. Both my kids love the taste of tahini too. It really comes down to what you eat as a child.

I can see your faces cringing right now at the mere thought of eating tahini on its own. But like I always tell Munsur: don’t knock it till you try it. ;)

So back to how they connect. As I was having a cough attack in the most awkward of scenarios {my friend’s mother was talking to me at the dinner table and my coughs decided to interrupt and I began having uncontrollable and unstoppable coughing fits.} At that very moment I thought about incorporating tahini with dessert, because well, I couldn’t get a word out and it just made sense to me at the time! I thought, I love tahini because it’s great for my coughs and it tastes amazing, and I was due to make a dessert of some sort. So why not combine the two and make an unbelievable dessert?! Luckily for me, the outcome was a success. :)

If you’ve ever had halawa or halva, then it tastes like that but in cake form! Slightly sweet but not overwhelming, and the chocolate adds another layer of depth to the cake. It’s moist and light and springs back when touched. You can see the air pockets in the cake when you slice through it, indicative of its airy composition. The tahini isn’t clearly detectable in this cake, but it offers a subtle hint of nuttiness and a pleasing yet not overly sweet taste. Kids and adults alike will love the flavours and the aroma. It smells almost like vanilla at night; as in a warm cup of milk that’s been infused with vanilla beans that you’re about to enjoy all canoodled on the couch with your favourite book in hand and a cozy blanket.

I made this cake three times in one weekend and so desperately wanted to make a forth because I wanted to perfect its appearance but I was met with an ultimatum by my husband. If I was to make a fourth one, he was going to make me eat the cake in its entirety…really because he has no willpower when it comes to baked goods.

So I settled with what I had made which was fine because it was delicious every time, so at least I know the recipe is perfect. I’ve served the cake as is and had also drizzled some chocolate ganache all over the second and third one. Whether you choose to add chocolate or keep it bare, the final result will still be a spectacular one.

Perhaps the nicest part of this experience was the simplicity in making this cake. It’s a few ingredients already found in your kitchen, and within 10 minutes you have prepared a cake that will wow your friends and family.

Be sure to give this recipe a go and don’t forget to let me know how it turns out by hash-tagging No Dairy No Cry on instagram, facebook, pinterest, and twitter! Use #nodairynocry when posting pics or comments! Or you can always comment on here as well. I love hearing your feedback. :)

Happy baking, my loves! xo

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F and using a bit of the vegan spread, grease the bundt pan. Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, beat vegan spread and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

3.  Next, in a small bowl, add ground chia with water and stir until chia binds with the water.

Add to sugar mix and beat until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl to ensure all ingredients are mixed.

4.  Then, add tahini and vanilla. Mix well until batter comes together.

5.  In a separate bowl, add sifted flour, baking powder, cornstarch, salt, and cloves, and combine.

6.  Add half of flour mix to sugar mix and beat on low until just combined.

7.  Next, add milk in a steady stream and continue beating on low until batter is slightly runny.

8.  Add remainder of the flour mix and beat until just combined. Do not over mix! I finished mixing it by hand so as to not overdo it with the mixer.

9.  Divide batter roughly in half, and place one half in a bowl and add to it the cocoa powder. Mix using a spatula until batter is chocolatey.

10.  Add a large scoop of each batter in an alternating fashion in the bundt pan.

11.  Finally, using a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon, make figure 8’s several times, until desired look is achieved. The more swirls you make, the more chocolatey the results.

12.  Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, until toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for approximately 10 minutes before removing from the pan.  Slice and serve as is or with some melted chocolate on top.

Bon appétit! xo