Sesame Chocolate Marbled Cake
This sesame chocolate marbled cake is a moist, year-round dessert made with nutty tahini, vanilla batter, and rich chocolate ganache. Its beautiful chocolate-and-sesame swirl feels special, yet the cake is simple enough for afternoon coffee, an after-dinner dessert, or a bake sale.
My goal was to create a simple, no-fuss cake that still feels special—and this one truly does.
Think of the familiar pairing of peanut butter and chocolate, but with a more delicate, elevated flavor. Tahini gives the cake a subtle nuttiness without overpowering the vanilla or chocolate. The sesame and chocolate complement each other beautifully and make this easy cake feel just a little elegant.
This cake starts with a basic vanilla cake base that gets an updo with tahini and chocolate. I love marbling the two batters because they create a beautiful balance between the chocolate and the tahini, plus it looks beautiful too.
How to Make Sesame Chocolate Marbled Cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Make the Tahini Cake Batter
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment—or in a bowl with a hand mixer—cream the butter on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.
Tip! Creaming the butter makes for a smoother cake, be careful to not overmix the butter though. 3 minutes on medium high speed is the perfect amount of time.
Scrape the butter from the sides and bottom of the bowl and add the sugar. Mix the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes.
Again, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add 1 egg at a time mixing in between each egg for about 30 seconds.
Tip! Make sure to scrape the bowl before adding any new ingredient to the mix, it keeps the mixture consistent.
After the eggs have been added, in a separate bowl, sift the dry ingredients. The flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. These are your dry ingredients.
In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients; the sour cream, the tahini and the vanilla. These are your wet ingredients.
In an alternating pattern add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.
It goes like this:
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix briefly until barely mixed.
Add half the wet ingredients and mix, again, barely mixing it in.
Add the second third of the dry ingredients and barely mix.
Add the last half of the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Add the last third of the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
Tip! It is important to not overmix the batter because it develops the gluten in the flour and creates a dry cake.
Make the Chocolate Tahini Ganache
This chocolate ganache is used both to marble the batter and to frost the cake.
The chocolate ganache will be made using a double boiler. Double boiler is fancy for two nestled pots on top of each other where the lower pot contains boiling/simmering water and the top pot is where the food will be.
In a medium saucepan, bring some water to a low simmer with a bowl on top of the pot. Make sure the bowl fits the pot so that the water doesn’t touch the bowl but instead sits above it receiving indirect heat from the boiling water.
Place the chocolate and heavy cream into the glass bowl and allow them to heat slowly.
Using a whisk, start incorporating the chocolate and the heavy cream until they melt well into each other.
As soon as the chocolate is melted, add the tahini and stir in. Remove the bowl from the heat and combine well.
Tip! Do not let the chocolate continue to heat over the hot water after it is melted, this results in a separated oily chocolate mixture.
Allow the chocolate to cool down for a few minutes.
Sometimes after adding the tahini, the chocolate can look a bit dull and not as shiny as it was. This is ok because before using the rest of the chocolate for frosting, we will give it some love with a pad of butter and it will reconstitute it.
Marble and Bake the Cake
While the ganache cools, divide the cake batter evenly between two bowls. Leave one portion plain and turn the other into chocolate batter.
Add 1/3 of the chocolate ganache into one of the halves of the batter and combine well.
Spray a round 9 inch cake pan with nonstick spray and start to scoop the batter.
Add the batter in a random pattern trying to keep it even and well balanced.
Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cake to cool for about 20 minutes or so. Unmold the cake onto a cake stand or platter.
At this point the chocolate ganache will be cool, if it is still smooth and runny (unlikely), pour over the cake and spread over to create an even layer. If the ganache is dry, add 1 tablespoon of butter and heat back on the double boiler until the butter melts into it and reconstitutes the ganache.
Tip! Adding butter also makes the ganache shiny and pretty.
Pour the ganache over the cake and spread into an even layer.
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sesame seeds over the chocolate ganache for finishing.
This cake is wonderful if it is still a bit warm, but it is delicious if its cooled all the way as well. Personally I love it when it’s warm.
Enjoy!
More Cake Recipes
Sesame Chocolate Marbled Cake
Equipment
- 3 mixing bowls 1 of them for standup mixer or hand mixer
- 1 medium size sauce pot
- 1 heat resistant bowl that fits the sauce pot
- 1 spatula
- 1 whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 9' round cake pan
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3 extra large eggs room temperature
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup tahini plus 2 tablespoons for the ganache
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter if needed to make ganache shinny before frosting the cake
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for finishing
- nonstick cooking spray for the cake pan
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment—or in a bowl with a hand mixer—cream the butter on medium-high speed for 3 minutes.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add the sugar. Beat the butter and sugar for 2–3 minutes.
- Scrape the bowl again. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In another bowl, mix the sour cream, tahini, and vanilla.
- Alternately add the dry and wet mixtures, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Add one-third of the dry mixture and mix briefly. Add half the wet mixture and mix just until incorporated. Repeat, then add the final third of the dry mixture and mix just until combined.
For the chocolate ganache:
- To make a double boiler, bring a small amount of water to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan and set a heat-safe bowl over it. The bowl should sit above the water without touching it.
- Add the chocolate chips and heavy cream to the bowl and let them heat slowly.
- Whisk until the chocolate and cream melt into a smooth ganache.
- As soon as the chocolate has melted, stir in the reserved 2 tablespoons tahini. Remove the bowl from the heat and mix well.
- Do not continue heating the ganache after the chocolate melts, or it may separate and become oily. Let it cool for a few minutes.
Finishing the cake batter:
- While the ganache cools, divide the cake batter evenly between two bowls. Leave one portion plain.
- Mix one-third of the chocolate ganache into the second portion of batter.
- Spoon the plain and chocolate batters into the prepared cake pan in a random pattern.
- Distribute both batters evenly to create a balanced marble pattern.
- Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for about 20 minutes, then unmold it onto a cake stand or platter.
- If the remaining ganache is still smooth and pourable, spread it evenly over the cake. If it has become too firm or dull, add 1 tablespoon butter and gently reheat it over the double boiler until smooth.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sesame seeds over the ganache for finishing.
- Enjoy!
The Tip in between is definitely helpful! Didn’t think things could get more yummy!! 😋