Tahini is a calcium-rich paste made from toasted, ground sesame seeds. It has a unique nutty flavour which compliments the orange and cinnamon in these cakes beautifully. They contain minimal amounts of any fat or sugar, making them a light and healthier alternative to many desserts. These traditionally Greek cakes also contain no animal products, making them a great choice for vegans. Although, I find switching out the sugar for honey a delicious option for non-vegans. This recipe was adapted from SBS food from around the world.

Ingredients:

Tahini Cakes

100g caster sugar or the equivalent in honey

100g hulled tahini paste

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Zest of 1 orange, grated

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

165g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp bicarb soda

2 tsp ground cinnamom

1/2 cup roughly chopped pistachios

Spray oil

Optional: 1 cup greek yoghurt with zest of 1/2 orange stirred through to serve

Lemon Glaze

3/4 cup pure icing sugar, sifted

1.5 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tbsp. water

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spray 4 x mini loaf tins (190-250ml capacity) with oil.

Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb soda and cinnamon into a large bowl and mix well.

Whisk olive oil, sugar/honey, tahini, orange zest, juice and vinegar until well combined and sugar dissolved.

Combine wet and dry ingredients and divide among the prepared tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until inserted skewer comes out clean.

Allow cakes to rest in their tins for 10 minutes, otherwise they will stick to the cake tins and come out misshapen. Then turn cakes out onto a wire rack to cool for another 10 minutes.

For the lemon glaze, combine all ingredients in a bowl until smooth and at a consistency which can be drizzled over cakes. Spoon the glaze over the cakes, then sprinkle with the roughly chopped pistachios and decorate as you please. These cakes are beautiful served with greek yoghurt with grated orange zest stirred through.