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Vegan & Sugar-Free Cakes

Vegan Tahini Cake

A simple egg-free, dairy-free tahini loaf cake with a lemon-tahini glaze, plus tips on choosing tahini, swaps for less sugar, and variations.

Published 4 min read
On this page
  1. What tahini does in a cake
  2. Ingredients
  3. Vegan tahini loaf cake recipe
  4. Tahini-lemon glaze
  5. Tips for choosing and using tahini
  6. Variations
  7. Making it lower in sugar
  8. Storage
  9. More cakes in this series

What tahini does in a cake

Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. In baking it plays a role similar to a nut butter (or the seed butter in our SunButter dessert recipes): it supplies fat, moisture and a rich, slightly bitter, toasty flavor that pairs well with sweet ingredients like maple syrup, chocolate and lemon. In a vegan cake, that fat helps replace the richness you would otherwise get from butter and eggs.

Home bakers like tahini cakes because they are quick. Two popular examples online are a chocolate chip tahini cake baked in an 8-inch pan, and a lemon tahini sheet pan cake adapted from a loaf recipe (for a lemon cake with butter and eggs, see our lemon polenta pound cake). Both are simple, one-pan bakes. Those versions use eggs or a boxed-style shortcut, so this article gives you a fully plant-based loaf instead.

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (120 g) well-stirred tahini
  • 2/3 cup (160 ml) maple syrup
  • 3/4 cup (180 ml) unsweetened plant milk
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for topping (optional)

For the glaze

  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water, as needed

Vegan tahini loaf cake recipe

This is a starting-point recipe rather than a guaranteed formula. Tahini brands differ in thickness, so adjust the plant milk by a spoonful if your batter seems very stiff.

Makes: one 9x5-inch loaf, about 10 slices

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a loaf pan and line it with parchment.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.
  3. In another bowl, whisk the tahini and maple syrup until smooth. Add the plant milk, oil, lemon juice and vanilla and whisk again.
  4. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir just until no dry flour remains. The batter should be thick but pourable.
  5. Scrape into the pan, smooth the top and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
  6. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cover loosely with foil if the top browns too quickly.
  7. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift out onto a rack.

Tahini-lemon glaze

Whisk the tahini, maple syrup and lemon juice together. Add warm water a teaspoon at a time until it is thick but pourable. Drizzle over the cooled cake. The glaze will set slightly as it sits.

Tips for choosing and using tahini

  • Stir the jar well. Natural tahini separates, with oil on top and a thick paste below. Stir it thoroughly, or the batter will be uneven.
  • Taste before baking. Brands range from mild and nutty to quite bitter. If yours is bitter, a little extra sweetener or chocolate in the batter can balance it.
  • Choose smooth, runny tahini. Thick or stiff paste is harder to blend into the wet ingredients.
  • Be aware of allergens. Sesame is a recognized allergen. Do not serve this cake to anyone with a sesame allergy.
  • Store the jar as directed. Most are kept in a cool cupboard, and some producers recommend the fridge after opening. Check the label.

Variations

  • Chocolate tahini cake: replace 1/4 cup of the flour with unsweetened cocoa powder, and fold in a handful of dairy-free chocolate chips.
  • Lemon tahini cake: add the zest of one lemon to the batter and use more lemon juice in the glaze. You can also bake the batter in a 9x13-inch pan for a sheet cake, checking for doneness earlier, since the thinner layer cooks faster.
  • Marbled: swirl a spoonful of extra tahini through the batter with a knife before baking.
  • Cupcakes: divide the batter among lined muffin cups and bake for a shorter time.

Making it lower in sugar

Maple syrup is still a sugar, so this cake is not sugar-free as written. If you want to cut back, you can reduce the maple syrup slightly and add a bit of mashed ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce, or use a liquid sweetener blend. Results will vary, so test a small batch first. Our no-sugar vegan cake guide compares sweeteners and explains how they change the crumb.

Storage

Keep the cake wrapped at room temperature for a couple of days, or refrigerate it for longer. Tahini cakes tend to taste better the next day as the flavors settle. Slices freeze well when wrapped.

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