Greek Tahinopita is dairy, egg, and oil free, and thus is suitable for Orthodox “fasting” days. That sounds like a good fast to me! This stuff is moist, dense, sweet, and satisfying, pairs well with tea, fruit, or (nut)butter, and is an automatic air freshener. Plus it just looks yummy. See?
One of the best things about this bread/cake is that all of the fat is “good” fat, from sesame seeds (tahini). There is minimal sugar added, compared to most baked goods/cakes, and it employs orange juice as a natural sweetener!
Tahinopita
2 1/4 c. flour
1 heaping T baking powder
1 t. salt
1 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. tahini
3/4 c. orange juice (fresh preferred, zests reserved)
1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. craisins/chopped dates/raisins
1/3 c. chopped walnuts/pecans
Preheat oven to 350F and spray an 8-inch cake pan with nonstick.
Dust a bit of flour over the nonstick.
Sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into large bowl.
Pour tahini into a separate large mixing bowl. Slowly add orange juice while beating with electric mixer. Add sugar and beat well for a few minutes, until completely smooth.
Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing with electric mixer or spoon. Stop when just blended.
The dough is very thick.
Add in craisins/dates/raisins, and nuts and mix with hands.
Press dough into pan, and smooth top with a damp spatula or fingers.
Bake 35 minutes, or until top is golden. Allow cake to rest, and cool on wire rack.
*If you don’t let it rest, it will be crumbly!
Dust top with powdered sugar or sugar/water simple syrup (simmer 1/2 c. sugar w/ 1/3 c. water for 10 minutes and drizzle/brush over cake).
optional: garnish with orange zest.
Fun Fact about tahini: I recently substituted half of the oil in a cookie recipe for tahini and the cookies turned out soft, dense, and delicious! I highly recommend experimenting with tahini in baked goods.