Tahini Confetti Cake

I’m going through old files, which have become a mess not only because they piled up for too long, but also because I suffered a computer crash last year and some things got irrevocably messed up along the way.

This tahini confetti cake (by Soom) is something that I asked the Engineer to make for my birthday the year before last, and it did not disappoint! I don’t even have a good photo, but it was so good that I wanted to share the recipe. Both the cake and the frosting have some tahini, and the taste comes through in a discrete, yet pleasant, way. Plus, I don’t think I’ve met a rainbow confetti cake I didn’t like!

In this recipe, you’ll want to use the oblong jimmies-type sprinkles, not the small round non-pareil ones, as the latter would bleed more.

For the tahini confetti cake
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 cup lactose-free butter, room temperature
¼ cup tahini
1 ¾ cups sugar
½ cup avocado or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs, room temperature
½ cup lactose-free sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup lactose-free buttermilk substitute, at room temperature
¾ cup rainbow sprinkles (see note above)

For the tahini buttercream
1 cup lactose-free butter, at room temperature
¼ cup tahini
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2-3 Tbsp. lactose-free milk of choice
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
½ cup rainbow sprinkles, to decorate


For the tahini confetti cake
Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease the bottom of three 9-inch cake rounds and line each with round parchment paper. Set aside.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and set aside.

Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add oil and mix on low to incorporate.

Mix in eggs one at a time on medium speed. Add vanilla and sour cream.

Begin adding buttermilk and dry ingredients to the batter, alternating between buttermilk and dry ingredients.

Add sprinkles and fold into batter with a spatula.

Pour cake batter evenly between three lined cake tins. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of cakes comes out clean.

Remove cake tins from oven and let cakes cool in tins for 30 minutes, before removing and placing on cooling rack to cool completely.

If frosting the cake that day, transfer cakes from cooling rack to the fridge to cool completely before assembling. If baking the day before, allow cakes to cool to room temperature before wrapping in plastic wrap and storing in the refrigerator overnight.

For the tahini buttercream
Cream together butter and tahini until smooth and creamy. Begin to add one cup of powdered sugar at a time, adding the milk and vanilla as it begins to thicken. If the buttercream becomes too thick, add in another tablespoon of milk.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of the cake on a cake stand or serving plate. Add a thin layer of buttercream and repeat with remaining cake layers. Spread buttercream over cake and decorate with sprinkles. Enjoy!