March 19, 2018

Flourless Chocolate Tahini Cake

posted by Julie in Chocolate Desserts, Desserts, Gluten Free, Passover, Recipes, Sheet Cakes
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Rich, smooth, decadent, and covered in beautiful spirals of tahini, this Flourless Chocolate Tahini Cake is the perfect gluten-free, make-ahead dessert. So pretty, chocolatey, and easy!

slices of flourless chocolate cake covered with swirls of tahini on decorative dessert plates

Last month, I shared a recipe for brownies with salted tahini buttercream.  I mentioned that I am in the middle of a legitimate tahini obsession right now and can’t stop putting it on and in everything.

And excitingly, many of you guys are the same way!  I’ve had so many Instagram and Facebook comments about how much everyone loves tahini.  Woohoo!

So let’s get back in the kitchen and make another tahini-based dessert: this incredibly rich, fudgy, downright decadent flourless chocolate tahini cake.

Like all flourless chocolate cakes, it is dense, rich, and incredibly decadent: a little piece goes a long way.  Unlike most flourless chocolate cakes, this one has a slight tahini flavor and is covered with a beautiful chocolate and tahini swirled glaze.

Easy, delicious, and beautiful? We’ve hit the dessert trifecta!

chocolate cake covered with a chocolate and tahini ganche

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Bittersweet Chocolate: Use a high-quality chocolate bar and chop it by hand (don’t use chocolate chips!). You can use semi-sweet or dark chocolate instead of bittersweet, but I always like to use chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa solids — the higher the cocoa solids, the richer and more intense the chocolate flavor will be.
  • Butter: This recipe uses unsalted butter. If you are baking with salted butter, reduce the salt content as necessary.
  • Eggs: Make sure the eggs are at room temperature, as cold eggs do not whip as well and we are relying on the whipped eggs to help lift the cake!
  • Sugar: I prefer this cake with granulated sugar, but you can use coconut sugar as an alternative. I recommend further breaking down the coconut sugar in a food processor before measuring.
  • Tahini: Make sure to use a smooth, creamy tahini – not the dry, chunky type! You can also use peanut butter or almond butter instead of tahini.
  • Cocoa Powder: Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder for this recipe, not Dutch-processed.
  • Heavy Cream: Heavy cream is required to make the glaze – it won’t be thick enough if you try to substitute milk.
uncut flourless chocolate cake covered with swirls of tahini

Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake

Flourless chocolate cakes are surprisingly easy to make! Start by melting together the chocolate and butter – you can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop. Stir frequently, until the mixture is smooth and set aside to cool.

Next, whip together the (room temperature!) eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt using the whisk attachment for a mixer. We’re not looking for firm peaks here (in fact, there won’t be any peaks at all since we’re including egg yolks!), but the mixture should look very foamy, light in color, and have doubled in size.

Because this cake doesn’t contain any flour, we’re also not using any chemical leavening agents, like baking powder or baking soda. Instead, the cake gets a little extra lift from these whipped eggs. How does this work? It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

As the eggs are whipped, air is incorporated into the egg and sugar mixture. The fat in the egg yolk acts as an emulsifier, stabilizing the air bubbles. As the air bubbles are trapped, the mixture will look very foamy and lighten in color. Once the cake is baked, the heat causes the water in the egg mixture to evaporate and the air bubbles expand, creating lift by pushing the cake batter upwards.

At this point, switch to low speed and mix carefully – we don’t want to deflate all the bubbles trapped in our eggs! Add the chocolate mixture, the tahini, and then the cocoa powder, which provides just enough stability to set the cake.

Bake the cake until the middle is still jiggly – the cake will still look slightly wet on top and the batter will stick to a toothpick. If you wait until a toothpick comes out clean, like a normal cake, a flourless cake will be dry and crumbly.

two slides of cake cut from a round cake

Tahini-Swirled Glaze

Once the cake is cooled, we’re going to cover it with a beautiful chocolate and tahini-swirled glaze.

We’ll start with a standard chocolate ganache, made from melting together chocolate and heavy cream. Pour the glaze over the cake, spreading it to the edge using an offset spatula. Then drizzle the tahini over the glaze, swirling it into the ganache using a knife or toothpick.

It’s really important to use a silky smooth tahini for this – Soom is my favorite brand by far! If your tahini is older or getting a little clumpy, heat it in the microwave for a few seconds, stirring frequently, until the consistency is pourable.

flourless cake baked in a springform pan with two slices cut
  • Springform Pan: While you can bake this cake in a regular 9-inch round cake pan, I always use a springform pan for ease of removal.
  • Mixing Bowls: This set of glass mixing bowls is my favorite – all the sizes you need, plus the bowls are microwave-safe or can be set on top of a steaming pot of water for use as a double boiler to melt the butter and chocolate.
  • Stand Mixer: You can also use a hand mixer with a whisk attachment, but a stand mixer makes this even easier.
  • High-Quality Chocolate: Using a chocolate bar made with at least 70% cocoa solids results in a richer flavor and smoother texture.
  • Natural Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: I like to use cocoa powder with a slightly higher fat content – it helps prevent the cake from taking on a dry texture.
  • High-Quality Tahini: Soom tahini is the only brand of tahini I use now – it’s always so smooth and creamy!
side view of a slice of chocolate tahini cake showing the thick, fudgy texture

Tips and Tricks for the Best Flourless Chocolate Tahini Cake

  1. Use high-quality ingredients! Because the ingredient list is pretty short, using the best quality ingredients has a big impact on taste. Use chopped chocolate (not chocolate chips), cocoa powder with a higher fat content, and smooth and creamy tahini.
  2. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature to create a more stable foam.
  3. Stir the tahini well before adding it to the batter.
  4. Refrigerate the cake before serving for the chocolatiest flavor and best texture. Bring the cake to room temperature 20-30 minutes before serving.
  5. For neat slices, dip a sharp knife in hot water before cutting each slice.
  6. Flourless chocolate tahini cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
forkful of chocolate tahini cake resting on a gold dessert plate

More Tahini Recipes

flourless chocolate cake covered with beautiful swirls of tahini

Flourless Chocolate Tahini Cake

Yield: Serves 12
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Cooling Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 4 hours

Rich, smooth, decadent, and covered in beautiful spirals of tahini, this flourless chocolate tahini cake is the perfect gluten-free, make-ahead dessert.

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 12 ounces (340 grams) high quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces
  • 5 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 cup (198 grams) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (168 grarms) tahini, well stirred
  • 1/4 cup (21 grams) unsweetened natural cocoa powder

For the Glaze!

  • 6 ounces (170 grams) high quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
  • 2/3 cup (151 grams) heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup (112 grams) tahini, well stirred

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 300 °F.  Thoroughly grease the bottom and sides of a 9″ springform pan.
  2. To make the cake, melt together the chocolate and butter in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring well each time, until fully melted and smooth.  Set aside to cool.
  3. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat together the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt.  Beat on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale, foamy, and doubled in size.  Reduce the speed to low and pour in the chocolate mixture and the tahini, beating for an additional minute until well combined.  Add the cocoa powder and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the sides of the cake are set but the middle is still jiggly.  Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 30 minutes.  Run a knife around the edge of the springform pan, then unmold and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Refrigerate the cake for a few hours (up to 5 days).
  5. To make the glaze, combine the chocolate and heavy cream in a small microwaveable bowl.  Microwave for 30-second increments, stirring after each, until smooth.  Pour the glaze over the cake and spread to the edge with a spoon or offset spatula.  Drizzle the tahini over the glaze, then swirl with a knife or toothpick.  Refrigerate the cake for an additional hour to set the ganache.

Notes

Flourless chocolate tahini cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Julie (Bunsen Burner Bakery)
Cuisine: American / Category: Sheet Cakes
Flourless Chocolate Tahini Cake: Gluten free, Passover friendly, delicious all the time. A rich, decadent flourless chocolate cake with swirls of tahini make an easy, elegant cake.
posted in Chocolate Desserts, Desserts, Gluten Free, Passover, Recipes, Sheet Cakes
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