Fluffy and moist grain-free tahini spice cake topped with a salted tahini caramel and a vegan frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

Grain Free Tahini Spice Cake (Paleo)

Good morning lovelies! I hope you’re all busy planning last-minute Thanksgiving details with friends and family, drinking plenty of delicious coffee, and smelling something that smells like cinnamon.

I’m in the moving process so my life feels a bit upended, but it’s been nice to finally be home with my family for Thanksgiving after 4 years out in the desert. Thanksgiving just hits different in new England with family close by!

I felt like we needed a recipe to celebrate, so I put together this Tahini Spice Cake and I think it’s the perfect way to celebrate both the big and little things in life! I haven’t ever been much of a spice cake person, mostly because the cake chapter of my life ended pretty early, but since creating this recipe I think it may be my favorite flavor of cake!

What is Tahini?

If you’ve met me either through Instagram or through another recipe there is a very good chance you’ve heard of my love for tahini. In fact, if you’re reading this you’re probably a cool cat who already uses tahini on a weekly (or daily) basis. But on the off chance that you aren’t that person, allow me to be your tahini Yoda and teach you all of the things.

Tahini is basically a liquid gold substance made of sesame seeds ground into a butter. So peanut butter, but sesame seeds. It’s a staple in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, but as an American, I like to put it on literally everything, from coffee to cobbler to granola. And also cake, because anything wonderful can be made even more wonderful by cake and I stand by that statement.

Tahini is the perfect nutty complement to the cinnamon and nutmeg in the spice cake–it all just works together so well! Rich, flavorful, and moist, this is a grain-free cake you’ll be coming back to again and again!

How to make Gluten Free Tahini Spice Cake

This grain-free tahini cake is pretty much foolproof and takes only one bowl, so it’s pretty much a dream come true! Here are a few tips for getting a moist, delicious tahini spice cake:

• Make sure your eggs (and the rest of your ingredients) are room temperature.
• Line the bottom of your baking pan with parchment and spray with coconut oil to prevent sticking.
• Remember to cool the cake all the way before frosting or things will slide around.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Cassava flour: this is my favorite gluten free flour! I used Otto’s cassava flour to make this cake. A different brand of cassava flour may not have the same results as the moisture in cassava flours can vary.
• Coconut Flour: I find this helps my cassava flour go further and gives a tighter crumb and a bit of fluff to baked goods.
• Tapioca Starch: Adds a bit of a fluffy, springy touch to the cake.
• Coconut sugar: a lower inflammatory sugar option that I use in most of my baking.
• Maple Syrup: Adds a bit of moisture and natural sweetness, and tastes delicious with the cinnamon.
• Baking soda: for that fluff factor.
• Tahini: my favorite ingredient! Use a high-quality, smooth tahini, such as Seed and Mill.
• Coconut oil: You can also substitute avocado oil.
•  Eggs: Remember to use room temp eggs! I have not tested this recipe with flax eggs, but let me know how it goes if you do!
• Full fat coconut milk, or another non-dairy milk such as almond milk, with apple cider vinegar added to make a “buttermilk”
• Cinnamon: The star of the spice cake!
• Nutmeg: Nutmeg compliments cinnamon so nicely.
• Ginger: another element of the “spice” in this spice cake.
• Canned pumpkin: I used a bit of pumpkin to add moisture to the batter, but it doesn’t add a pumpkin taste (there isn’t enough of it to change the taste.) You could also use sweet potato puree or experiment with applesauce, but I haven’t tested applesauce yet.

Two-Layer Grain-Free Cake

This cake makes two 6 inch rounds for a two-layer paleo cake. I doubled the recipe and used three of the layers to take the recipe photos, so you can do that if you want a three or four-layer cake, or you can make the original recipe and just pour the batter thinly into 4 pans for a thin 4 layer cake. Bear in mind that the baking time will change with each of these. You can also make an 8×10 cake or 10-12 cupcakes with this recipe.

Other Paleo Cake Recipes:

• Best Paleo Chocolate Cake
• Paleo Chocolate Cake with Cashew Butter Frosting
• Paleo Carrot Cake Cupcakes
• Paleo Pumpkin Cake with Salted Caramel Frosting

PRINT

Grain Free Tahini Spice Cake

Fluffy and moist grain-free tahini spice cake topped with a salted tahini caramel and a vegan frosting. This gluten-free cake is naturally sweetened and perfect for fall!

COURSE Dessert

Cuisine American

PREP TIME 10 minutes

COOK TIME 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME 30 minutes

SERVINGS 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup almond or coconut milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cassava flour
• 1 tbsp tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup coconut flour

For Tahini Caramel:

• 3 tbsp tahini
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp coconut oil softened

For Frosting:

• 1 can Simple Mills Vanilla Frosting

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper and coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, maple syrup, and sugar until well combined and the sugar has begun to dissolve.
3. Add pumpkin, tahini, and coconut oil and beat again for a minute, then stir in coconut milk, vinegar, vanilla, and baking soda.
4. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cassava flour, tapioca starch, and coconut flour to the wet ingredients and fold until well combined. Allow the batter to sit for 2-3 minutes to absorb. If the batter is too thick add 2 tbsp dairy-free milk, then pour the batter into the prepared baking pans and smooth the top with a spatula.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
6. Once out the oven, cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
7. To make tahini caramel, stir together all ingredients until smooth. pour over the frosted cake and enjoy!