Date Tahini Cake w/ Tahini Whipped Cream

Those of you who have make my date-nut bread, know there really isn't a need for another date dessert......but I had a jar of tahini, and I thought the sound of this combination might just be great.

I was right.

Dates, sesame.....a cup of coffee and the tahini whipped cream? Oh boy.

Don't skip the tahini whipped cream, it is amazing, and you can freeze the leftovers! who knew you could freeze whipped cream? Not I.

This cake is perfect for fall, and is very popular in Israel and other Middle Eastern countries.
It's almost like a rustic bread, rather than a cake.

Remember to use a mild flavored olive oil (I use Colavita).

Tahini Date Cake (adapted from Eat in My Kitchen):

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
freshly grated orange or lemon zest
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
1/3 cup tahini, mixed well
1/3 cup mild olive oil
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk
1 cup sugar
4 large organic eggs
3/4 cup pitted dates, roughly chopped, plus a few chopped dates for serving
white sesame seeds for the top

Preheat the oven to 350°F (preferably convection setting) and butter an 8″ springform pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, zest, cinnamon, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the tahini, olive oil, milk, sugar, and eggs for about 1 minute until well combined (I mix it by hand, of course!).

Stir in the flour mixture and continue mixing until no traces of flour are left. Stir in the dates and pour the dough into the prepared springform pan.

Sprinkle the top with the sesame seeds and bake for about 45 minutes or until golden and spongy. Check with a skewer, it should come out almost clean. Let the cake cool for a few minutes and take it out of the pan.

Tahini Whipped Cream

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp tahini

Whip the cream with the maple syrup until stiff, adjust sweetness to taste. Add the tahini and whip for a few seconds until well combined.

To serve the cake, cut it into large pieces, add a generous dollop of the tahini whipped cream, and sprinkle with chopped dates and additional sesame seeds.

To freeze the leftover whipped cream (who knew?)......lay a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and place dollops of the leftover tahini cream on the paper. Place directly into the freezer on the tray.

Let completely freeze (about 2 hours), then transfer the frozen dollops of cream to a container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Just before using (great for topping coffee), just take out of the freezer and let defrost 15 minutes.

This is complex and delicious! Loved it.