– Is it tasty? Irresistibly!
– Is it rich? Absolutely!
– Is it moist? Totally!
– Is it chocolaty? Heavenly!
This is the best healthy chocolate cake that you will ever make! All of the ingredients that we often want to avoid, like eggs, butter and oil are replaced with tahini. This chocolate cake has a hint of a nutty flavor, which, combined with the cocoa and the orange zest make it the perfect sweet delight without the guilt that usually comes along.
Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. If you’re not familiar with it, there are a couple of tips at the end of this post that you might find interesting, but a quick search on the internet might make you want to start using it more frequently. It’s full of vitamins, antioxidant properties and so much more that it is worth adding it to your diet!
Here is the very easy recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/4 cups flour, sifted
- 1/3 cup cocoa, sifted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup cold water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- the zest of one orange
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Preheat oven to 355 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Spray or brush with olive oil the bottom and sides of an 8 inch (20 cm) round cake pan, add a parchment paper disk to the bottom and spray/brush again.
In a medium bowl, combine the sifted flour, the sifted cocoa, the baking powder and the baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the tahini, the sugar and the cold water. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes.
Add the flour mix, the vanilla extract and the orange zest.
Beat on high speed for two minutes, scraping the bowl with a spatula in between. Transfer the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until the top part of a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool for about 20 minutes and remove the cake from the baking pan. Remove the parchment paper disk and dust with powdered sugar when the cake reaches room temperature.
A few tips on tahini
Tahini is one of the key ingredients of hummus, so it’s quite possible you’ve had it before. It can also be added to a salad dressing or in dips.
Use tahini mixed with honey on bread for breakfast or as a sandwich instead of peanut butter. A good idea is to mix in a mason jar one cup tahini with half a cup honey that way you will always have a tasty and healthy spread on hand.
Try a couple of different tahini brands as I’ve found some varieties to be a little bit bitter. A jar of tahini will usually have its natural oil separated on the top part; mix well with the top of a dinner knife, before using.
