AmericanMedium · Room Temp
Spiced Carrot and Walnut Cake with Maple and Tahini
A warmly spiced carrot cake studded with toasted walnuts and finished with a silky tahini-maple drizzle. Yasmine's Algerian restraint keeps it from being cloying, letting the earthiness of the root vegetable and the nuttiness of the tahini sing through.
Prep
20 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1h 5m
Method
1
Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 180°C. Grease a 23-cm round cake pan with a little sunflower oil and line the base with parchment.
2
Toast the chopped walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and lightly coloured. Set aside to cool.
3
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt until evenly combined.
4
In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and beat well. Add the sunflower oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and whisk vigorously until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
5
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine at this stage.
6
Fold the grated carrot and toasted walnuts into the batter, working quickly and gently until no dry flour remains.
7
8
9
In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, and lemon juice until smooth and drizzleable. Add 1-2 tsp of water if the mixture is too thick.
10
Drizzle the tahini-maple glaze over the cooled cake in thin ribbons. Slice and serve at room temperature.
Grade pending
Nutri-Score
Estimated nutrition
Grade pending · 100% ingredient coverage
Calories
595
per serving
Protein
9g
Carbs
51g
Fat
42g
Sat. fat
5g
Fiber
5g
Sugar
27g
Sodium
726mg
Dairy FreeNut Free AdaptableVegetarianBalanced DietDigestive SupportHeart DiseaseHealthy FatsReduced Sugar AdaptableWhole Grains Adaptable
Nutri-Score is a general nutritional-balance guide, not medical or dietary advice.
Grade pending
Environmental impact
Estimated footprint
Grade pending · 100% ingredient coverage
kg CO2e
0.3
per serving
Water
0.3m³
Land
32Pt
Runoff
0.08g P
Sunflower Oil drives 26% of this recipe’s estimated footprint.
Carbon from Poore & Nemecek 2018; water, land & runoff from Agribalyse — modelled averages for comparing recipes, not a measurement of your groceries.
Flavor Profile
5
Umami
4
Sweet
3
Salty
3
Sour
2
Bitter
3
Spicy
Textures
CrispySilkyTender
Aromas
CaramelEarthyNuttyWarm Spice
Safety & Storage
Cooking Temperature
Bake at 180°C (356°F) for 40-45 minutes until a skewer inserted at the center comes out clean. Internal temperature should reach at least 83°C (180°F) to ensure egg proteins are fully cooked.
Cross Contamination
Toast walnuts in a dedicated dry skillet to avoid allergen cross-contact. Clean all bowls and utensils that contacted the walnut-containing batter before using for allergen-free preparations.
Use separate beating equipment for eggs to prevent cross-contact with other allergen-containing ingredients if preparing multiple dishes simultaneously.
Storage
Store the finished cake at room temperature for up to 2 days in an airtight container, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. The tahini-maple glaze contains no dairy but the cake includes eggs, so refrigeration extends shelf-life safely.
High Risk Population
This cake contains raw egg in the batter before baking. Vulnerable populations including pregnant individuals, young children, elderly persons, and immunocompromised individuals should consume only after baking when internal temperature has been verified.
Handling
Cool the cake for 10 minutes in the pan before turning out. The cake structure is fragile when hot and may break if inverted too soon. Allow to cool completely before applying the tahini drizzle for best glaze adhesion.
Allergen Warning
This recipe contains multiple top allergens: eggs, wheat/gluten, sesame, and tree nuts. Clearly label any stored portions with allergen information for food safety compliance.
Pro Tips
Technique
Toast your walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until they smell fragrant and turn a shade deeper — this takes only a few minutes but transforms them from raw to revelatory, and they will carry that warmth into every slice.
Substitution
If tahini is too unfamiliar for your pantry, whisk together an equal measure of smooth almond butter with the maple and lemon; you will lose the subtle sesame bitterness but keep the silky, nutty drizzle that crowns this cake.
From the chef
Carrots belong to the same family as the cumin and coriander that have simmered in my grandmother's couscoussier for decades, so this cake is no stranger to my table — it simply wears its warmth differently. The earthiness of the grated carrot, the toasted walnuts, and the tahini drizzle echo a principle I learned long before I ever named it: restraint lets each flavour find its footing, and a little lemon at the end reminds everything to breathe.
TagsSpicedSweetNuttyMapleVegetarianDairy FreeGluten
AllergensEggsWheatSesameTree Nuts
Source: generated · June 12, 2026