Blueberry Lemon Tahini Oat Flour Bundt Cake

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(Note: this post was originally published on May 21, 2020. The date above reflects migration to the new platform.)

A Lemony Show-Stopper

This spring I've been enamored with all things lemon. It's just such a bright, crisp flavor that makes me think of long days and new growth. This beautiful cake unites springy lemon and summery blueberries for a cake that will work throughout all the warm months.

While I could have made this in a cake pan or bread pan, a Bundt cake just feels so special. Really it isn't any different, but look how beautiful it is! This would be the perfect cake for any spring or summer occasion. Memorial day get-together? Summer birthday? Summer picnic? This cake is stunning enough (but sssshhh, also easy enough) to do them all. It would even be great at brunch.

A Secret Ingredient (+ Discount!)

Believe it or not, this cake gets much of its moisture and essentially all of its fat from a very special, unexpected ingredient: tahini!!

Wait, really a tahini cake? Yes, absolutely! I recently made some Tahini Blondies that are incredible (seriously, check them out!), so clearly the obvious choice was to try a tahini cake. Tahini is a rich, nutty, luxurious cake ingredient and it adds the necessary fat to keep the cake moist and tender. At the risk of stating the obvious, this is much more nutritious, protein-rich, and flavorful than adding a bunch of vegetable oil.

The secret here is tahini from Seeds of Collaboration. It's beautifully sweet, nutty, and silky; not the least bit bitter or gloppy. You might be able to get away with inferior tahini in hummus, but not in a cake! So please get yourself some of this beautiful tahini, it will forever change your approach to baking.

And guess what? Seeds of Collaboration is now giving 20% off to Rogue Brussel Sprout friends! Use the code ROGUE at check-out to get the discount.

Good For the Body AND Easy!

In terms of its ingredients, this is a cake I'd happily eat for breakfast. The entirety of its structure comes from oats, which you'll blend up in the batter to make oat flour; simple, inexpensive, and super nutritious. This cake gets its sweetness from maple syrup and its moisture from tahini and coconut oil. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more wholesome cake out there.

Let's not forget the sneaky little secret- this entire cake is made right in the blender! Just dump all the ingredients in and blast it. There's no fussing with wet and dry ingredients, egg whites, sifting, or all the other annoying steps that cakes usually necessitate (sorry traditional cake... but it's true). It will seriously take you 15 minutes to make this batter and get it into the oven.

Even though this is a great cake for a party, we also really enjoy it as a snack throughout the week. I like treats like this that are made from good ingredients so that they feel like every-day food rather than special occasion food. If you cut it into slices, it's easier to store. You can keep it in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a couple months; just make sure it's tightly sealed. This will give you easy and nourishing breakfasts, snacks, and/or desserts. We've been taking pieces for our lunch!

Let's Talk Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for this recipe, as well as some thoughts, tips, and possible substitutions. If you make any substitutions, I'd love to hear about it in the comments section below.

  • Tahini. Seeds of Collaboration of course (use the code ROGUE for 20% off!)! Note that this recipe is based on a drippy, silky tahini rather than a thick one. If you use a different tahini, you'll likely need to add some additional coconut oil to thin it out. I wouldn't recommend trying this cake with a bitter tahini... but if you do, increase the maple syrup to 0.75 c.
  • Coconut oil
  • Maple syrup. Must be at room temperature so your coconut oil doesn't harden!
  • Eggs. Make sure they're at room temperature! Otherwise, your coconut oil will solidify. Note that I haven't tried this with flax eggs. If you do, please leave a comment below!
  • Vanilla
  • Lemon zest and juice
  • Regular rolled oats. Not steel-cut oats!! Steel oats are much harder and won't break down properly.
  • Baking powder
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Blueberries. I actually prefer baking with frozen blueberries; they have a lower moisture content and maintain their shape better. In season, pick your own and either use them fresh or freeze them. Out of season, I like buying bags of frozen, small, wild blueberries.
  • Confectioners sugar. Or, see other icing options below.

Icing Options

Although I looooooove anything with icing, I acknowledge that it's a sugar bomb. As written, the recipe below calls for a standard confectioner's sugar icing, made with lemon juice for additional zippy lemon flavor. It's delicious and beautiful. That said, you have options for your icing strategy, so pick what works for you. Here are some possibilities:

Option #1 (as written in the recipe): The prettiest and easiest. Use about 1 c of confectioner's sugar and add tiny increments of lemon juice until you have a thick, drizzly icing. This is what I've shown in the photos. It's definitely the way to go for a special occasion cake.

Option #2: No refined sugar, white, but messy. If you'd rather stay away from refined sugar, one possibility is to heat up and drizzle some coconut butter. It has a nice color, but won't harden in the same way that a confectioner's sugar icing does, so it's messier and will soak into the cake.

Option #3: No refined sugar, super tasty, but not great color. Use some additional tahini as your icing base. Stir in some maple syrup to sweeten it up, and add a bit of melted coconut oil (not water!) if you need to thin it out.

Option #4: Leave it naked. This cake is still delicious without icing, but it doesn't have the same visual appeal or decadence.

Closing Thoughts

I'm convinced that this is basically the perfect cake for all spring and summer occasions. It's easy to make, filled with good-for-the-body ingredients, and versatile. It works for brunch or dessert, and the leftovers make great snacks throughout the week. You can make it as decadent as you like with various icing options.

And its flavors are so beautiful! Bright zippy lemon and sweet blueberries are the perfect complement to the rich tahini. It's delicate, fruity, slightly sweet, and very complex in a way that will keep you coming back for more.

Share It!

It makes me so happy to hear from you and see your creations! Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think about this recipe. If you post a photo on Instagram, hashtag #TheRogueBrusselSprout and tag me (@TheRogueBrusselSprout) in the post text so that I'm sure to see it.

Suggested Pairings

Blackberry Limoncello Gin Smash

Grilled and Raw Spring Salad

Fruity Brunch Salad

Loaded Lemon Hummus

Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Caramelized Lemon Turmeric Sauce

Disclosure: Seeds of Collaboration is a long-term partner. I receive free product from Seeds of Collaboration and take a small commission on sales using the discount code. However, all opinions and thoughts are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep The Rogue Brussel Sprout running.

Blueberry Lemon Tahini Oat Flour Bundt Cake

This show-stopping bundt cake is bursting with tart lemon and sweet blueberries. Because it's made with oat flour and gets most of its moisture from tahini, it's a good-for-the-body choice in addition to being delicious.

Author:
Lee

Ingredients

For the Cake

  • 0.5 creamy tahini
  • 0.5 c melted coconut oil, plus additional for preparing the pan
  • 0.5 c maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • Zest of a very large lemon, or two small lemons
  • 2 c regular rolled oats
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 c blueberries

For the Icing

  • 1 c conferctioner's sugar
  • Juice of a lemon

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 and thoroughly oil a 6-cup bundt pan; I like to use coconut oil. Use your fingers to ensure oil gets into every little corner.
  2. Allow all your ingredients to come to room temperature. This is critical, since cold eggs and maple syrup will cause your coconut oil to harden.
  3. Measure all of the cake ingredients except the blueberries into a blender, putting the wet ingredients in first to facilitate easy blending. Process until you have a thick batter that's homogeneous throughout. It should only take a minute or two in a high-power blender.
  4. Add the blueberries and stir them in by hand. Don't blend them!
  5. Pour the batter into the oiled bundt pan. IMPORTANT: Don't over-fill! Leave about an inch and a half of space for the cake to rise, otherwise you'll have a huge mess.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 60-70 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.
  7. Cool your cake completely! Resist the temptation to try to extract it from the pan while it's still warm, it likely won't go well.
  8. Once your cake is cool, flip it out onto a plate.
  9. To mix the icing, add tiny increments of lemon juice to the confectioner's sugar until you have a thick, drizzly icing. Just add a bit at a time, otherwise the icing can become too runny very quickly. If you don't have enough lemon juice, add a bit of water.
  10. Drizzle the icing across the top of the cake and garnish as you see fit. I like to drizzle the cake with icing and garnish with a few candied lemon slices. Some blueberries, fresh mint, fresh lemon balm, or edible flowers would also be beautiful.

Leave a Comment

Please Share Your Thoughts!

Did you make this recipe? Did you make substitutions? How did you serve it? Any helpful tips? Please share your thoughts, since these insights are really useful to both me and to other readers.

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Julie Ann
May 23, 2022
This is loaded with delicious blueberries with a fresh hint of lemon flavor. I love that the ingredients are healthier, more natural alternatives to traditional Bundt cakes. Definitely saving this recipe!
Gina
April 19, 2022
Wow, love bluebs and lemon together. Bookmarked for this summer!