Tahini Cake with a Crispy Sesame Crust

This tahini cake recipe makes a simple tea cake with a soft crumb and a crisp sesame-coated crust that makes it hard to stop at one slice. An easy, forgiving, and foolproof recipe that even a beginner can bake. The batter comes together quickly, bakes in under an hour, and works in a loaf pan, round pan, or muffin pans.

One thing worth knowing: it tastes absolutely delicious even when warm, so you don't have to wait too long. Just make sure your store only once it's fully cooled.

I love tahini halva, so I knew the deep, nutty sesame flavour would be great in a cake. I have baked this more times than I can count, tested it with different pan sizes, and it is still the go-to recipe I bake for loved ones. Whoever has had this cake loved it in the very first bite. So, it is high time you used that half-used jar of tahini sitting in your pantry and made this cake.

Mr F was initially sceptical, but now he hovers by the cooling rack waiting for me to slice… and I have caught him eating the fallen crumbs off the board too.

A lot of you across the globe have already baked this tahini cake and made it a keeper recipe. One reader commented:

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Jump to:

• Reader Review
• Key Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make Tahini cake?
• Tahini Cake Recipe Questions, Answered
• 📖 Recipe Card
• 💬 Comments

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

You likely have most of this in your kitchen.

• All-purpose flour (plain flour/maida): The base of the cake. I haven't tested this with any other flour.
• Baking powder: Use the full amount. This cannot be swapped for baking soda.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar works best here. One reader had good results using a mix of white and brown sugar, if you want to try.
• Eggs: Room temperature is the best, just remove and keep them while you prep other ingredients.
• Flavour extract: This is where you can have fun. Rose water, orange blossom water, a pinch of cardamom, or pineapple extract (a recent test that was a genuine hit) all work beautifully. I tend to rotate between vanilla and cardamom most often.
• Cooking oil: Any neutral cooking oil like sunflower, vegetable, or canola. Avoid anything with a strong flavour. I have also tried this recipe with light olive oil.
• Milk: Full-fat milk is my choice. For a dairy-free version, any unsweetened plant-based milk works 1:1. Some of my readers have had success with oat milk and almond milk.
• Tahini: Stir well before measuring since the oil tends to separate at the top of the jar. Look for a 100% sesame seed jar labelled tahina in Middle Eastern grocery stores.
• Sesame seeds: For the crust on top. White, black, or a mix works.

See the recipe card below for the full quantities.

How to make Tahini cake?

This is a forgiving recipe and comes together quickly, and doesn't require you to be precise to the gram. An electric hand mixer makes it easier, but a good whisk works too.

Prep the oven and pans

Preheat your oven to 170°C top/bottom heat or 3D hot air. Place the rack in the middle of the oven. Grease and line an 8×4-inch loaf pan with baking paper.

I have tried the same batter in 2 mini loaf pans, a 6×2 inch round pan, or a 6-hole muffin pan... all work well, though baking times will vary (see Notes).

Mix the dry ingredients

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Prepare the wet batter

In a large bowl, add the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract (or your chosen flavouring). Whisk until the mixture is pale, runny, and the sugar is no longer grainy. Add the oil, tahini, and milk and whisk again until combined. Add the flour mixture in two to three batches, whisking each time until just incorporated.

Pour batter into the lined pan

Transfer the batter into your lined pan using a rubber spatula, filling it to about ¾ way up. Sprinkle the top generously with sesame seeds.

Bake the tahini cake

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, checking from 50 minutes with a toothpick inserted in the centre. Remove the pan only if the toothpick comes out clean. If the top is browning faster than the centre is cooking, lay a piece of aluminium foil loosely over the pan.

Cool the cake and then slice to serve

Remove from the pan and let it cool on a wire rack. It slices cleanest once fully cooled and tastes even better the next day. Use a bread knife for neat slices. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tahini Cake Recipe Questions, Answered

What does tahini cake taste like?

Nutty, sweet, and moist with a faint savoury depth from the sesame that sets it apart from a standard vanilla loaf cake. The crumb is tender, and the sesame-coated top adds a gentle crunch. If you enjoy halva or sesame snaps, you will love this. It pairs really well with black tea or chai.

Can I make this tahini cake dairy-free?

Yes. Swap the milk 1:1 with any unsweetened plant-based milk like oat milk and almond milk; both work well.

Can I use a different flavouring instead of vanilla?

Absolutely! This is one of the most flexible parts of the recipe. Rose water, orange blossom water, cardamom, and pineapple extract have all been tested and work really well. Start with the same quantity as the vanilla and adjust to taste, since some extracts are stronger than others.

If you enjoy no-bake sesame desserts, my chocolate lazy cake with tahini and pistachio is worth bookmarking. It uses tahini in a completely different way and requires zero oven time.

If you are looking for more ways to bake with tahini, my tahini chocolate chip cookies are a reader favourite. And if you love Middle Eastern baking, the namoura (basbousa), a classic semolina cake made with tahini and drenched in syrup, is absolutely worth having in your repertoire.

What flavour are you going with? vanilla, rose water, or are you going straight for the pineapple extract? Let me know in the comments!

📖 Recipe Card

Recipe inspired and adapted from Nadia's Instagram PotsnBites