Orange and Tahini Carrot Cake
By OcadoLife
Published on 21 March 2025
Cook, Bake Off finalist and author of Flavour Kitchen Crystelle Pereira created this gorgeous Orange and Tahini Carrot Cake. “This is a delicious update on a classic, using tahini, dates and olive oil for intense depth of flavour and a dense yet light texture. Baking it in a bundt tin makes for impressive presentation with low effort.” For another showstopping carroty bake, try Crystelle’s Carrot Cornbread with Hot Honey Butter .
Time and servings
1 hr 40 minsTotal time
14Servings
20 minsPrep time
1 hr 20 minsCooking time
Ingredients
- 100g walnuts, roughly chopped
- 110g sesame seeds
- 1 knob unsalted butter, for the tin
- 200g caster sugar
- 90g light brown soft sugar
- 2 oranges, zested, plus zest and juice of 1 large orange (to give approx. 90ml juice) for the icing
- 100g runny honey, plus 75g for the icing
- 100g tahini, plus 90g extra for swirling and 30g for the icing
- 230ml olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, plus 1½ tsp for the icing
- 4 large eggs
- 250g plain flour
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 260g carrots, grated
- 75g dates, roughly chopped
- 170g cream cheese
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Place the walnuts on a baking tray; toast in the oven for 10 mins or until golden. Put the sesame seeds in a dry pan; toast over medium heat, stirring, until golden. Leave the nuts and seeds to cool a little.Step 2
Grease a bundt tin with butter (I used one approx. 26 cm x 9 cm). Sprinkle 20g of the toasted sesame seeds into the tin, tilting it to coat evenly.Step 3
In a large bowl, combine the caster sugar, brown sugar and zest from the 2 oranges. Rub the zest into the sugars with your fingers to release the oils. Whisk in 100g honey, 100g tahini, all the olive oil and 1 tsp vanilla, until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well between each addition.Step 4
In a separate bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cinnamon. Fold this into the wet mixture, followed by the grated carrots, 70g of the toasted sesame seeds, the toasted walnuts and the dates, until just combined.Step 5
Pour half the batter into the bundt tin. Drizzle with 45g of the extra tahini for swirling, and swirl with a skewer or knife. Add the remaining batter and top with the other 45g tahini, swirling again. Bake for 1 hr-1 hr 25 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Invert the cake over a plate and remove the tin. Leave to cool.Step 6
For the icing, beat the cream cheese to loosen, then whisk in the remaining 1½ tsp vanilla, 75g honey, 30g tahini, orange juice and most of the orange zest until smooth.Step 7
Spoon the icing over the cake; sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds and zest. Store for up to 1 week in a sealed container.