Lemon Tahini Spoon Cake
Vegan, gluten-free
It’s summer. It is official. I have my air conditioner on almost constantly and the sunscreen by my front door, always ready to be put on before I walk out the door. Most of the time, summer would mean lemonade stands in my neighborhood (not sure that will happen this year) and pie waiting to be made.
While there may not be many lemonade stands this year, the flavor of lemon, mingled with fresh summer fruits is still completely possible. I have said it before, but I am not a pie person. I know. A controversial opinion. If I had to choose between cake and pie, it would always be cake. Sometimes cakes can be a little annoying to make, and well, they are not always as easy as pie (get it? I crack myself up).
This cake is somewhere between a pudding (in the British sense, not the American one) and a cake because the edges get crispy and airy, but the middle stays soft and slightly gooey. One of my favorite recipe creators, Jerrelle Guy, has a recipe for a strawberry spoon cake. Just the idea of a cake so lusciously moist that it needs to be served with a spoon, not a knife, had me at hello.
This recipe is inspired by hers, but, made vegan, full of ironically nutty tahini, whole grain flours and topped with whatever summer fruit is your favorite. It could be the perfect dessert for the Fourth of July or maybe just a sticky summer night, tucking in while you savor the evening breeze.
Tahini
Tahini really is a magical thing. Yes, I adore peanut butter. I eat it every day, but there is something about tahini that just make baked goods delectable. The combination of natural fat from sesame seeds and the earthy, nutty flavor they impart balance out the floral sweetness of this cake.
When it comes to picking out a tahini, they are not all the same. Some can be extremely bitter and not amount of sugar or lemon will cover that up. There are a few that have a super smooth texture and flavor. Soom Foods and Seed + Mill are both delicious, woman-owned options and you can order online. Whole Foods carries an organic tahini that is delightful and easy to find. Occasionally, I will use Alkanater, which I get from a Lebanese grocer in my neighborhood. Whatever one you use, just taste it first and make sure that you would want to eat it straight out of the jar.
Coconut or Cane Sugar
I have a ridiculously large variety of sweeteners in my apartment. Every single sweetener has its own unique properties, flavors and uses. I adore brown sugar in cookies or blondies, but for this cake, I wanted a drier sugar. Cane and coconut sugars are dry, meaning they have had their natural moisture extracted from them. Now, when I say cane sugar, I am talking about organic cane sugar, not the super white granulated sugar. Granulated sugar is not only super processed, but also can contain bone char, so, not vegan. Coconut sugar is made from the same trees that produce coconuts (not from coconut themselves) and has a seriously delicious vanilla-like flavor.
I love coconut sugar, but it imparts a dark color to the baked goods you add it to. I wanted this cake to keep its sunny color; so, I used cane sugar. If you do not want to use cane sugar, then use coconut sugar; it’s a 1-to-1 replacement.
Millet Flour
There are a lot of gluten-free flours out there. I will say that oat or almond flours get a lot of the attention, but there are so many out there with unique flavor and a whole lot of nutrition. Millet flour is one of those. Millet is high in protein, dietary fiber, amino acids and nutrients like magnesium. It also lends a nice delicate crumbly texture to the baked good you add it too.
In this cake, I like to use millet flour to balance out the sweetness of the sugar and floral nature of the lemon since it has a natural earthy, tinge of bitter flavor. If you do not have millet flour or do not want to go hunt it down, you can use almond flour here.
Lastly, if you do not want to use this mixture of flours or you aren’t gluten-free, you can use one type of flour. Using all almond flour will give this cake a seriously moist texture. If you use all oat or wheat flour, then the cake might need some additional moisture added to it. These flours are more absorptive than other flours.
And now, as the quote goes, let them eat cake!
RECIPE
80g (an overflowing 1/3 cup) tahini
20g (2tbsp) olive oil
20g (about 2 tbsp) agave nectar or maple syrup
92g (1/2 cup) coconut or cane sugar
20g (about 2tbsp) lemon juice (this is about the juice of half a lemon)
41g (4 tbsp) almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
60g (1/2 cup) gluten-free oat flour
44g (1/4 cup) gluten-free millet flour (you can sub almond flour)
34g (1/4 cup) tapioca starch
4g (3/4 tsp) baking powder
1 tsp salt
Whatever fruit that’s floating your boat
Extra sugar for sprinkling
Preheat your oven to 375F and liberally grease an 8-inch ceramic baking dish (I used a tart pan, but scooping it directly out of the baking dish, while hot, is the ideal) with coconut oil.
In a large bowl, combine the tahini, olive oil, coconut or cane sugar (your choice) and agave. Whisk it until it forms a thick, smooth paste. Add the lemon zest, juice, vanilla extract and almond milk and whisk to combine.
Add the oat and millet (or almond) flours, tapioca starch, baking powder and salt to the tahini mixture and fold together with a spatula. Glob the batter into the prepared baking dish and use an offset spatula to coax into the corners.
Sprinkle to top with your fruit: thinly sliced peaches, wild blueberries, sliced strawberries, raspberries, maybe some halved cherries. Use that artistic eye of yours or bring the kiddos in to help arrange the fruit. Sprinkle cane sugar on top for a crispy top.
Bake for 20-24 minutes until the edges are just golden brown. Err on the side of under-baking since it will get very crumbly if over baked.
Let cool for 15 minutes before serving by scooping out a portion into a bowl, top with your favorite non-dairy ice cream, maybe a drizzle of coconut yogurt? I like to double down on the tahini and a sprinkle of salt.
Variation: If you are not vegan, you can use 1 egg plus about 2 tbsp of almond milk. You do not need to add the lemon juice.