Apple Tahini Cardamom Cake
I have been going crazy seeing all apple cake recipes online and wanted to make my own. We went to apple orchard because there is not much to do these days. I really wanted to spend some time outdoors. Going out for apple picking was a great idea.
I am so glad we did it even though I was a little skeptical. Of course, everyone was out apple picking. It was crowded than I would have liked.
But luckily the orchard was so huge we were able to stay away from people and still enjoy the space. We might have over did ourselves with all the apples. I came back with at least 30 apples. Yes, I counted them. If you don’t count apples after apple picking day then who are you? So, I knew there were lot of apple recipes coming your way.
This apple cake is so soft even though has dense structure. I liked it. I used shredded apples, but if you want pieces of apples then go ahead and use chopped apples. Use a sweet and tart variety of apples.
I got the idea to use tahini in the recipe because I eat apples with halva spread that I was gifted few years ago. I loved the taste of halva spread and apples. Even though in this recipe it is small amount you can taste the tahini. I have also used it in the glaze.
I wanted to use only cardamom so that I can highlight the tahini flavors better. If I added more spices, then it would be difficult to taste everything. But, feel free to use cinnamon or all spice.
This recipe can be easily made eggless, as you can replace eggs for some apple sauce.
In terms of sugar, the recipe outlines brown sugar and jaggery. I know, some of you might not have jaggery. Just use brown sugar. I feel though I wouldn’t use regular white sugar. Brown sugar gives it that nice caramel flavor. I have used nuts, but you can create plenty of variations from the recipe. If you do not like nuts or have allergy issues, you can omit it or use some other nuts. Add raisins, dried cranberries etc.
Apple Tahini Cardamom Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar or jaggery
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups peeled and grated apples
- ¼ cup walnuts roughly chopped
glaze
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, 1 tsp sesame seeds together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar/jaggery, tahini and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently whisk until just combined. Fold in the shredded apples and walnuts. Batter will be little bit thick.
- Spread the batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes.
- Baking times vary so keep an eye. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the bread from the oven.
- In a mixing bowl, take confectioners’ sugar, cardamom, tahini, and lemon juice whisk it to smooth. Add milk only if you think it’s too thick and you want to thin it out. Pour the glaze on the cooled apple cake and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds if you like. Let it set for few minutes and then slice and serve.
- Cool it for 10 minutes in the pan and then transfer it on a wire rack and completely cool it before pouring the glaze.
- Cover and store leftover cake at room temperature for up to 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for few days.
Notes
- Apples – Use sweet and tart varieties if you can.
- Sweetness – Use brown sugar for better results. I have used half brown sugar and half jaggery.
- If you want a thicker glaze use 1 cup of c. sugar and reduce 1/4 sugar from the actual cake recipe.
- You can easily make muffins from this batter, instead of loaf cake. Baking time will vary.
- Cake can be frozen for up to 3 months easily.
XOXO, Devangi