Hayley's Tahini Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle • Jewish Food Hero

Hayley’s Tahini Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle

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Hayley's Tahini, Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle on a pink cake stand and chequered tablecloth, Hayley holding the cake in a garden

This Jewish Food Hero Community Recipe is Hayley’s Tahini Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle. This cake is packed full of rich plant flavors, with cashew and apricot and maple. The star of the show is tahini, a smooth paste made from ground sesame seeds, which flavors both the sponge and the drizzle. Enjoy this earthy, wholesome cake with a generous drizzle of plant-based chocolate sauce. 

Community Recipes is a recurring feature where we share your vegan recipes on the Jewish Food Hero blog.  If you want to share a recipe in this series, pitch us your idea here.

Hayley's Tahini, Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle on a pink cake stand and chequered tablecloth, Hayley holding the cake in a garden

All About Hayley Levy

Originally from London in the UK, Hayley’s adopted home for the last 11 years has been Israel. She lives with her husband, daughter and son, who she describes as “’sabres, in all ways: feisty and free”. Even after 11 years, Hayley says this is at odds with her quieter more reserved nature.

Hayley co-runs a business English training company that focuses heavily on cross-cultural differences and keeps her very busy. To relax, she reads (a lot!), cooks (a lot) and usually has a crafting project on the go.

As a busy working mum of two, Hayley has only recently learned to value time in the kitchen as a form of quiet “me time”. Her passion for cooking is fairly new. Just a year ago, Hayley started working with a dietician – this was the catalyst for looking more closely at family eating at home. You can see some of the amazing dishes she creates in her Instagram posts.

Hayley comes from a food-centric family. Her mother and grandfather were both professionally trained and worked as chefs. Meal times were always an important, almost ceremonial gathering. Hayley’s own family have always eaten together, only now, the food Hayley cooks is more considered and made with real pleasure.

Hayley's Tahini, Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle on a pink cake stand and chequered tablecloth, Hayley holding the cake in a garden

Cookbook Inspiration

Cooking is a way for Hayley to be calm and creative. She says her mum is her first cookbook!

Her favorite published cookbooks are:

  • Feasts From The Middle East by Comptoir Libanais and Tony Kitous 
  • A very worn copy of The Essential Cook Book, the first of many cookbooks her mother has bought her over the years and the one she refers to for classic dishes and procedures. 

Tahini – a complicated love story

Over the years, Hayley’s tastes have changed enormously. Moving to Israel has impacted the ingredients available massively – and for the better! At the same time, working with a dietician has also really been a big influence on how Hayley cooks and eats. She says she now has a “new obsession of eating BIG but not bad.”  Tahini is the inspiration for Hayley’s Tahini Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle.

Amazingly, considering how big a feature tahini is in this recipe, Hayley says, “I used to hate tahini with a passion! But I have slowly grown to love its deep nutty flavour and versatility.” She created this recipe because she wanted to echo Israeli cuisine. This cake was a happy experiment, a new experience of baking without eggs and a recipe that is now firmly in the favorites list.

Hayley's Tahini, Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle on a pink cake stand and chequered tablecloth, Hayley holding the cake in a garden

Carefully balanced ingredients

This Hayley’s Tahini Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle. doesn’t contain any animal products. There is also no substitute for usual baking ingredients like eggs. Instead, this cake takes its rise from the combination of self-raising flour, baking powder and the acid of pomelo juice. Expect a dense sponge, full of texture and flavor. 

Hayley's Tahini, Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle on a pink cake stand and chequered tablecloth, Hayley holding the cake in a garden

Key ingredients

With a big focus on dried fruits, fresh nuts and high quality tahini, this Hayley’s Tahini Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle. is like an Israeli flavor party in a cake form. To get the best results, use high quality, organic ingredients:

  • certified kosher and ABSOLUTELY delicious Tahini that is made in the USA by Jewish sisters.
  • organic and certified kosher Maple syrup
  • Organic and certified kosher Cashew nuts
  • Dried apricots that are sugar and sulfate free
Hayley holding Hayley's Tahini, Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle in a garden

More Community Recipes 

ok no further whether you exclusively eat plant-based/vegan, or are just looking for some inspiration in general. Our worldwide healthy food community has so many varied ideas to try! Have a look at these other submissions. And don’t forget to get in touch to pitch us your idea here.

Another sweet option are Kira’s Almond Butter Oatmeal Cookies made with love in Israel. These healthy cookies are gooey and chewy. They are oil-free, refined sugar-free, and made from all natural ingredients. Made with oats and fruits, they are a filling and healthy to eat and enjoy with children.

Megan’s Seasonal Root Vegetable Latkes was created in LA.  It is a version of a traditional Jewish recipe served for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Megan’s Seasonal Root Vegetable Latkes are vegan and gluten-free and everyone loves how they taste. BTW, we can eat latkes all year round – especially vegan ones!


Ally’s Lentil Stuffed Peppers Recipe comes to us from the UK.  Her recipe is an attractive and appealing vegan stuffed vegetable dish. The sweet juicy peppers act like a bowl for the soft, warmly spicy lentil filling. This recipe has a surprising time-saving twist in the method.

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Hayley's Tahini, Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle on a pink cake stand and chequered tablecloth, Hayley holding the cake in a garden

Hayley’s Tahini Cashew and Apricot Cake with a Chocolate Tahini Drizzle

  • Author: Hayley Levy
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 large slices
  • Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the cake:

1 ¾ cups of self raising flour 

½ cup good quality tahini

¾ cup good quality maple syrup 

1 tsp baking powder 

1.5 tsp vanilla essence 

1 cup plain chopped cashews 

1 cup organic, super soft dried apricots 

1 cup freshly squeezed pomelo juice (about 2 pomelos) / orange juice 

For the drizzle: 

½ cup tahini

3 tbsp maple syrup 

2 tbsp cocoa powder 

3 tbsp cold water (you can adapt the consistency by adding more or less water) 

A sprinkle of chopped cashews


Instructions

  1. Prepare a 23cm bundt tin with coconut oil and a light dusting of flour.

  2. Preheat oven to 170 C.

  3. Weigh out all the ingredients.

  4. To a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, chopped nuts, chopped apricots, tahini, vanilla essence, and maple. Mix well. 

  5. When it is well combined, add the citrus juice and quickly transfer to the bundt tin. 

  6. Cook in the centre of the preheated oven for 35 – 40 mins. It is cooked through when a knife comes out clean. 

  7. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes. Then, gently turn out and leave to cool completely.  

  8. While the cake is cooling, combine all the drizzle ingredients in a small bowl. Adjust the consistency with more/less water as desired.

  9. Drizzle the cooled cake with the chocolate tahini sauce and grab a fork!


Keywords: Tahini, cashew, apricot

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