This soft and moist vegan Tahini Date Cake is a combination of sweet, nutty, and earthy flavours. Easy to make, and packed with chia seeds and dried fruit (add some nuts too!). Perfect to pair with coffee or tea.

About The Recipe

• Vegan | Dairy-Free

• Soft and Moist

• Oil-Free Cake

• Easy to make

Ingredients You Need

• Dates: Soft and tender Medjool dates work best here. Soak in hot water for a few minutes to soften, if they’re more on the dry side. They will be blended down into a date paste for the batter.

• Tahini: Use good quality liquid runny tahini. If it’s thick and clumpy, it’s no good (for this recipe).

• Chia Seeds: Used to replace eggs in baking the cake. Simply mix 1 tbsp ground chia seeds with 3 tbsp of water (per 1 egg).

• Milk: Use any plant milk you prefer (except coconut – strong flavour). Make sure it’s at room temperature before working with it. Whisked with vinegar to create vegan ‘buttermilk’.

• Pomegranate Molasses: A hint of tang makes this cake pop. You can skip if not available.

• Sugar: Granulated sugar to bring the wet ingredients together.

• Dried fruit / Nuts: Added toppings for the cake (but not necessary). Dried cranberries, raisins, walnuts, or whatever you like.

• Flour: Sift and weigh the all purpose flour using a kitchen scale for best results (when baking in general).

• Baking soda: To mix with the flour and spices for baking.

• Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Cozy earthy spices to compliment the tahini date flavours.

Tahini Rosewater Glaze

A sweet and nutty floral glaze made of tahini, maple syrup (or simple syrup), and rosewater. Made by melting dairy-free butter, then whisking the ingredients along with icing sugar. It should be thick and runny, with a silky feel. Cool down completely before drizzling on top of the vegan Tahini Date Cake. It’s optional to the cake, but I highly recommend it.

How To Make The Cake

Blend the dates in a food processor to make the paste. Prepare the chia eggs in a small bowl to thicken up. Add with the remaining wet ingredients, along with toppings/dried fruit/nuts, in a large bowl. Whisk the plant milk with vinegar to create vegan buttermilk in a separate bowl.

Whisk the wet ingredients from above in a hand mixer/stand mixer/food processor, along with the sugar, until well-combined. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl using a fork or a whisk.

Add the dry bowl to the wet bowl. Whisk for no more than a minute to combine (don’t over-mix). The batter should be clumpy and somewhat sticky.

Empty into a round 9 inch cake pan, lined with parchment paper (or greased with oil spray). Spread into an even layer. You can add a couple of pitted dates on top for decoration. Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool down in the pan for an hour before removing and cooling down completely.

Drizzling The Glaze

Poke a few holes with a butter knife once the cake is finished baking. Spread the glaze on top to allow it to soak up. Let sit for an hour before slicing up and serving with more glaze if you want!

Baking Tips

• Weigh your ingredients. The cup measurements in *my* baking recipes are for guidance only. It’s essential that all ingredients are weighed using a kitchen scale for accurate amounts.

• Sift the flour to break any lumps before measuring it. This also helps make what you’re baking lighter and airier.

• Mix dry and wet ingredients separately. To avoid over-kneading/mixing the batter, I find combining the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls, before bringing it together.

• Room temperature ingredients. Before making the batter, make sure any cold wet ingredients (milk and vinegar) are brought out to room temperature.

Related Recipes

Looking for more cakes to enjoy this summer? Try this sweet and moist Hareeseh (aka Basbousa: Coconut Semolina Cake). Or enjoy a decadent vegan Oreo Ice Cream Cake on a hot day.

Tahini Date Cake Recipe

If you have any questions about this recipe, or gave it a try, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Remember to rate the recipe with ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. This will help us sustain Plant Based Arab.

Snap a photo of your dish, and tag us on Instagram @PlantBasedArab, so we can see and share your remake!

Tahini Date Cake

Recipe by Waseem HijaziCourse: DessertsCuisine: Baking, Middle EasternDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

slices

Prep time

10

minutes

Baking time

40

minutes

Total time

50

minutes

This soft and moist vegan Tahini Date Cake is a combination of sweet, nutty, and earthy flavours. Easy to make, and packed with chia seeds and dried fruit (add some nuts too!). Perfect to pair with coffee or tea.

Ingredients

• Wet Bowl

• 300g Medjool dates, turned into paste – See Notes (1)

• 2 tbsp ground chia seeds – See Notes (2)

• 1 cup (225ml) plant milk, I use oat milk

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup (100ml) liquid tahini

• 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins/cranberries)

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

• 1 tsp pomegranate molasses, optional

• Dry Bowl

• 2 cups (240g) all purpose flour, sifted

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• Tahini Rosewater Glaze

• 2 tbsp dairy-free butter, melted

• 2 tbsp maple syrup (or simple syrup)

• 2 tbsp tahini

• 1 tsp rosewater

• 1 cup icing sugar

Directions

• Blend the dates in a food processor to make the paste. Prepare the chia eggs in a small bowl to thicken up. Whisk the plant milk with vinegar to create vegan buttermilk in a separate large bowl.
• Add the remaining wet ingredients to the large bowl. Whisk using a hand mixer (or fancier equipment) to combine. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, using a fork or whisk.
• Add the dry bowl to the wet bowl. Mix to combine for no more than a minute using a hand mixer. The batter should be clumpy and somewhat sticky. Fold with a spatula to bring together the flour on the sides.
• Empty into a round 9 inch cake pan, lined with parchment paper (or greased with oil spray). Spread into an even layer. You can add a couple of pitted dates on top for decoration.
• Bake for 40 minutes, in a 350F preheated oven, on middle rack. The top should be golden brown, and a toothpick should come out clean. Let cool down in the pan for an hour before removing and cooling down completely.
• Make the Tahini Rosewater Glaze in the meantime. Simply melt the butter, then whisk in the remaining ingredients. It should be thick and runny, with a silky feel. Cool down completely before drizzling on top of the cake.

Notes

• (1) Date Paste: Simply blend the soft pitted Medjool dates in a food processor (or soak in hot water first to soften if necessary).
• (2) Chia Eggs: Blend the chia seeds in a coffee grinder/high speed blender to make the grounds. Whisk with 6 tablespoons of water in a bowl to thicken up.
• (3) Milk and Vinegar: Make sure they are at room temperature before working with the recipe.
• (4) Weigh the ingredients: Use a kitchen scale to properly measure the ingredients.
• (5) Extra toppings: You can add other dried fruit (like cranberries), nuts, or other toppings to the batter instead of raisins.

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