One bowl to create this magical Fresh Cherry Almond Cake with Sesame and Tahini. With a lovely browned top loaded with fresh cherries, sesame seeds and slivered almonds it's by far my favorite part of the cake. A blend of all-purpose flour and almond flour give the cake a lovely spongy texture without being dense. Tahini, which is ground sesame paste, is combined in the batter in place of butter or oil. It is also used as the non-stick agent for the pan. The use of tahini in the pan gives the edges of the cake a subtle nutty flavor and so much depth. If you love cherries, almonds and sesame - this is the cake for you. Great for breakfast and elegant enough for a dinner party.
Tahini is a vital ingredient in so many Lebanese dishes as well as my own creative twists on Middle Eastern foods. I do feel it's often underused in desserts. Tahini is a fabulous substitute for oil or butter in a cake and also works as a non-stick coating and creates a deep nutty flavor. If you have tried my Tahini Banana Bread - this cake is the perfect companion.
Ingredients
A modest group of ingredients make this a one bowl easy cake!
- Cherries - Taking advantage of cherry season with fresh cherries both in the cake and on top.
- Sugars - We're using a combination of granulated and brown sugar.
- Yogurt - A little moisture and fat from plain yogurt is added.
- Tahini - If you have never baked with tahini it's a lovely addition and replaced oil/butter while giving you a hint of nutty flavor. Using it in the pan as well increases the flavor.
- Amaretto - You can certainly sub with almond extract but I prefer the subtle flavor of the Amaretto in its place. Or use a little extra vanilla extract.
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour - All purpose flour gives the cake a perfect base and fluffy texture.
- Almond flour - The addition of almond flour is a nice balance and gives a subtle nutty flavor and sponginess to the cake.
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Toasted sesame seeds
- Slivered almonds
- **Honey - Optional honey glaze
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
I love a one bowl cake that doesn't require a mixer - just a whisk and a few ingredients!
Step 1: Begin by pitting and halving your cherries, set aside. Measure/weight your cherries AFTER they are pitted and halved.
Step 2: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and prepare your 9" springform pan by brushing 2 tablespoons of tahini on the bottom and sides. Set aside.
Step 3: In a large bowl, combine your wet ingredients: eggs, yogurt, tahini, Amaretto, vanilla, granulated and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined.
Step 4: Add your dry ingredients and 1.5 cups of your halved cherries. Fold ingredients together gently until no flour streaks remain.
Step 5: Pour batter into prepared 9" springform pan and top with last half cup of cherries, sesame seeds and slivered almonds. Bake for 50-55 minutes.
Step 6: Remove when skewer comes out clean, allow to rest for 15 minutes - remove from springform pan and enjoy!
Equipment
Here are a few items that are used in this recipe:
9" Springform Pan - This is a great kitchen staple item - perfect for cakes like this or cheesecakes!
Cherry Pitter - Believe me when I say I speak from experience - this is the best cherry pitter!!!! This is actually the updated version which I just bought. But unlike other cherry pitters, you can add multiple cherries to the chute and just pit, pit, pit. Many other force you to line up one cherry at a time. This gives you the fastest results!!! I love it!
Favorite Tahini Brands - I've shared these before but these are my go-to Tahini brands:
Ziyad
Mid-East
Kitchen Scale - If you are into baking - I highly recommend a kitchen scale. All my newer recipes include weight measurements and are tested that way. For the most accurate results, it's a must!
Storage
This cake is great the day of or on the counter up to 3 days. You can store in the fridge and warm up to enjoy after day 3 - best in the fridge for about 5 days total. You can also freeze slices and enjoy later.
Pro Tip
Weighing your ingredients is the best way to ensure consistent results with this cake. Grab a scale for $10!
Why We Love This Recipe
The beauty of the fresh cherries, earthy sesame and subtle almond make for a very delicious cake! This is absolutely perfect for breakfast and comes together in just one bowl!
If you make this Fresh Cherry and Almond Cake, please let me know by leaving a rating and review below!
As always, I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review or share your dish with me on social media #cosetteskitchen which lets me know what is working for you! You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , Tiktok and Pinterest. For more delicious recipes to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
xoxo,
Cosette
Fresh Cherry and Almond Cake with Sesame and Tahini
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern, American
Description
A simple - one bowl cake that melds together summer cherries, almond and sesame for that deep flavor. This Fresh Cherry and Almond Cake with Sesame is the perfect summer dinner party companion!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of pitted and halved cherries - 300 grams, about 40 cherries. **please be sure to weight/measure AFTER the cherries have been pitted and halved
- ½ cup tahini - 135 grams + 2 additional Tablespoons for cake pan
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar - 100 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar - 100 grams **light or dark are both fine
- ½ cup plain yogurt - 100 grams (Greek yogurt is fine)
- 2 teaspoons Amaretto - sub ½ teaspoon almond extract if preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour - 120 grams
- ½ cup ground almond flour - 56 grams**
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda - sifted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, half if using table salt
- 1.5 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- **optional - 2 teaspoons warmed honey
Instructions
- Begin by pitting and halving your cherries, set aside.
- 2 cups of pitted and halved cherries - 300 grams, about 40 cherries. **please be sure to weight/measure AFTER the cherries have been pitted and halved
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and prepare your 9" springform pan by brushing 2 tablespoons of tahini on the bottom and sides. Set aside.**
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- In a large bowl, combine your wet ingredients: tahini, eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, yogurt,, Amaretto and vanilla Whisk until well combined.
- ½ cup tahini - 135 grams
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar - 100 grams
- ½ cup brown sugar - 100 grams **light or dark are both fine
- ½ cup plain yogurt - 100 grams (Greek yogurt is fine)
- 2 teaspoons Amaretto - sub ½ teaspoon almond extract if preferred
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add your dry ingredients and 1.5 cups of your halved cherries. Fold ingredients together gently until no flour streaks remain.
- 1 cup all-purpose flour - 120 grams
- ½ cup ground almond flour - 56 grams**
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda - sifted
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, half if using table salt
- 1.5 cup of your reserved cherries
- Pour batter into prepared 9" springform pan and top with last half cup of cherries, sesame seeds and slivered almonds. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Remove when skewer comes out clean.
- 1.5 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- Remaining ½ cup of cherries
- Allow to rest for 15 minutes - remove from springform pan and enjoy!
**After the recipe was written I made another cake and warmed about 2 teaspoons of honey and brushed on the HOT cake when immediately came out of the oven. It was lovely but also not necessary. Just a little something extra if you're looking to fancy it up!
Notes
- Be sure you are pitting and halving your cherries BEFORE weighing or measuring to keep it accurate.
- If you don't have a springform cake - you can simply make in a 9" cake pan and either flip out after making and flip back or simply cut in the pan.
- You can simply butter the cake pan if you don't want to use tahini.
- Feel free to sub ½ teaspoon of almond extract in place of Amaretto - note that they alcohol will cook out of the cake.
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