Four layers of banana cake filled with tahini buttercream and enrobed in dark chocolate. This tahini chocolate banana cake is perfect for adult birthdays and celebrating special occasions!
Tahini (sesame seed paste) is having a moment in my kitchen. I am obsessed with it. Tahini is very nutty, quite bitter, and super savory. It’s mainly used in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, primarily for savory foods. Think hummus and baba ghanoush.
I’ve had a jar of tahini sitting in my pantry staring at me for the past two weeks. Finally I took the plunge and used it in cookies.
These tahini chocolate chunk cookies are INSANE and delicious. Success from the cookies, led to the tahini buttercream in this cake.
Why This Recipe Works
This tahini chocolate banana cake will surprise you! On the outside, it seems like a regular chocolate cake. But when you cut a slice, you’re immediately wowed by the different layers and textures inside.
And when when you take a bite and finally taste the combination of all the flavors, you can’t help but smile and dig in for another.
Sweet banana cake coated with rich and exotic tahini buttercream and studded with chocolate chunks. It’s a mixture of familiar and unknown. This tahini chocolate banana cake is comfortable yet exciting.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Tahini chocolate banana cake has three components: banana cake, tahini frosting, and the exterior chocolate coating.
For best results, measure dry ingredients using a digital kitchen scale. If you prefer volume measurements (such as cups), please use the spoon and level method to measure flour.
- Cinnamon: The banana cake is lightly spiced with ground cinnamon. You may use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom for more flavor. Or, sub in apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
- Butter: For best results, use softened unsalted butter.
- Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar, brown sugar, and confectioners’ sugar (also known as powdered sugar). Equal parts white granulated sugar and light brown sugar are used to make the banana cake. Confectioners’ sugar is used to whip together the tahini buttercream.
- Banana: Use to medium to large sized bananas. For best flavor, use ripe bananas! Signs of a ripe banana include deep yellow skin spotted with brown freckles throughout
- Milk: Any kind of dairy or non-dairy milk works. Regular cow’s milk, soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, etc. For a sweeter option, use canned evaporated milk.
- Tahini: Processed sesame seeds ground into a paste. Tahini is sold alongside peanut butter and other nut butters. If you can’t find tahini, you may sub in a different nut butter as suggested in recipe variations sections.
- Chocolate : Roughly chopped chocolate chunks are studded throughout the tahini buttercream. Use your choice of milk, dark, semi-sweet or white chocolate. For the chocolate coating that is used along the exterior of the cake, please use dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate.
- White Sesame Seeds: These optional seeds are used to decorate the cake. You may use white or black sesame seeds, toasted or raw.
This recipe also requires flour, baking powder, baking soda, large egg, vanilla extract, and kosher salt.
Recipe Variations
The three key flavors in this cake are: 1) tahini, 2) chocolate, and 3) banana.
There are several types of tahini available for purchase. Tahini is sold in jars, bottles, or cans. It is a paste made from ground toasted sesame seeds.
Soom is a popular tahini brand that sells premium tahini, dark chocolate sea salt tahini, and chocolate tahini. All three options work.
You may also make tahini from scratch. Alternatives to tahini include:
- smooth, natural peanut butter
- almond butter
- sunflower butter
- cashew butter
Chocolate chunks or chocolate chips are used in the tahini buttercream frosting. You may substitute in butterscotch chips or peanut butter chips. Or, simply omit the chocolate to create a tahini banana cake.
There is no substitute or alternative for banana. It’s a requirement for this banana cake!
Serving Suggestions
Cake is much easter to slice when cold. This will result in clean slices. However, cold cake doesn’t taste as good.
Allow cake slices to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (30-45 minutes is best) before serving. The cake and buttercream will soften during this time.
This four layer tahini chocolate banana cake serves 10. Portion the cake into 10 equal sized wedges. Lightly score the top of the cake before cutting into the cake. These scored guidelines will ensure more even slices for everyone.
This cake pairs well with a glass of milk (ice cold or warmed/steamed), sea salt coffee, cinnamon dolce latte, or orange spiced tea.
Cake Storage and Leftovers
Keep cake stored in the fridge until ready to serve. Let cake sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving to allow ganache and cake to soften.
Assembled frosted cake may be stored in the fridge for up 24 hours before serving. Use an airtight container to store sliced cake (or cake slices) in the fridge for up to three days.
It is important to use an airtight container because the buttercream and yellow cake are susceptible to absorbing smells and flavors from your fridge.
You may also combat this by using a small piece of wax paper or parchment paper to cover exposed cake slices. This will also prevent the cake from drying out.
Related Dessert Recipes
- Caramel Coffee Banana Cake
- Banana Cream Cake
- Buttermilk Chocolate Cake with Caramel and Ganache
Tahini Chocolate Banana Cake
Ingredients
Banana Cake:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, , softened, room temp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar, , packed
- 2 large eggs, , room temp
- 2 ripe medium sized bananas, , mashed
- ⅓ cup milk, , room temp
Tahini Buttercream:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, , softened, room temp
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch fine sea salt
- ½ cup roughly chopped chocolate chunks
Chocolate Coating:
- 4 oz dark chocolate, , melted, slightly cooled
- white sesame seeds, to decorate
Instructions
Banana Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 6-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. baking. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter. Add sugar and brown sugar and mix until combined. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
- Add eggs one at a time. Follow with the mashed bananas. Continue to mix until incorporated.
- Alternate adding the flour mixing and milk. Start and end with the flour in three additions. Scrape down bowl as needed. Mix until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-45 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for a few minutes before unmolding and transferring to wire rack. Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing layers.
Tahini Buttercream:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together butter and tahini. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing. Add confectioners’ sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Mix until buttercream is thick and smooth.*
Assembly:
- Split each banana cake into two equal layers. You should end up with four layers total.
- Place one layer of cake on cake board or serving plate. With an offset spatula slather a layer of tahini buttercream. Sprinkle chocolate chunks over buttercream. Top with second cake layer. Repeat adding buttercream and chocolate chunks. Continue to repeat until last layer of cake is on top.
- Coat the top and sides of the cake with remaining tahini buttercream. Allow cake to chill in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to set up buttercream.
- Remove from fridge and coat cake with cooled melted chocolate. Garnish the top of the cake with sesame seeds.
Notes
- Allow cake slices to sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (30-45 minutes is best) before serving. The cake and buttercream will soften during this tim
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Hey Maryanne! Thanks heaps for sharing this recipe and also for sharing about your dad. At first I thought he was still here, but as I read until the end I realised he was in heaven. He sounds like he was a wonderful father. There are no words for the loss of a loved one, but I do want to thank you so much for reminding me to hug my mum a little closer and bake/cook for her more often. Your blog post brought on a lot of deep thoughts about life, death and loved ones, but it was much needed, esp in the busyness of life. Elderly are often forgotten or given the remnants of leftover time, but making space for them in a busy schedule would def be well worth it. Planning to bake this for my mum! And bake for her waaay way more than I do now. Excuse the long comment! Have a great day :)
Hi Sonia. Thank you so much for your comment. I really appreciate it! Happy baking :)
I just made this icing using peanut butter & olivani instead of the tahini n butter as didn’t have tahini and our daughter dairy free…. so so yummy… added some coffee too.. tastes amazing
Peanut butter is a tasty substitute! Glad you enjoyed it!
I made this today – finally!
I love tahini and banana and would have never thought to put them in a cake, but it totally works. I thought the baking soda taste was a little too prominent so would reduce it if i did it again, but everyone else who had a slice had only compliments, so thanks for the recipe. Very cool :-)
You are one sweet daughter! I’ve only really tried tahini from buying shawarma from stalls so I’m not so sure about it as a buttercream flavor. Your post did make me curious though. I’m quite sure there is no tahini sold anywhere near where I am, do you think I could use sesame seeds instead?