Recipe: Vanilla White Cake with Tahini Frosting

Tahini gives an interesting texture to this frosting.

I just discovered another great use for tahini (sesame seed paste), which usually makes an appearance in hummus.

But because tahini also is an ingredient in the delicious dessert, halva, I thought it would make an excellent frosting for my Vanilla White Cake. 

Tahini Frosting

Ingredients:

• 12-15 oz container of tahini
• Organic powdered sugar *
• Unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

Blend a tub of tahini in a food processor for about a minute until it’s creamy (The texture gets light and fluffy when mixed in a food processor). Empty the contents into a bowl, and stir in 1 T of powdered sugar at a time until you get the level of sweetness you like. Thin out the frosting with 1 T of non-dairy milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency (For my cake, I had the frosting reach an icing-like consistency -- like what you'd pour over cinnamon rolls). Whatever spread is leftover you can eat ... it tastes like halva!

*You can use a liquid sweetener if you prefer.

Sweet White Cake

Ingredients:

• 1-1/4 c. of unsweetened dairy-free milk (if it’s sweetened, your cake will be slightly sweeter)
• 1 T of apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour (alternatively, you can use whole wheat flour)
• 1/2 c. organic sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 c. oil or vegan mayo (I have used Just Mayo) **
• 1 T vanilla extract
• 1 T butter extract (it’s vegan)
• 1 T almond extract

** You might be able to swap the oil with 1/3 c. of applesauce (I haven't tried that yet)

Directions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch pan.

Combine milk and vinegar and set aside (this acts like buttermilk).

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.

Whisk mayo, water, and extracts into buttermilk mixture until well combined. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix until lump-free. Pour batter into the pan.

Bake for 35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Once cool, spread on your frosting. 

As a topping, I’ve also blended frozen berries and added a little sugar. I poke holes in the cake so the fruity syrup seeps throughout.