I’ve been sitting on this recipe for weeks now.
Probably as many weeks as I spent getting it perfect in small batches for Jason and Theo and I. Over and over. And then for a few guests. And then just for the three of us again. And then finally, when I felt like it was ready to share here I went ahead and made it for my whole family and it turned out less like molten cake and more like shards of cake swimming in delicious tahini and chocolate and I lost all confidence again.
Baking will do that to you. But I’ve recovered after a few weeks of hindsight, so I decided that it’s time to get it down on my version of paper–because let’s be honest, writing it by hand would make my hand cramp up. Anything more than signing my name makes my hand cramp up these days.
Let’s start with what got me completely obsessed: tahini in dessert. It’s rich, nutty, creamy, and so so perfect when paired with brown sugar. I’ve been on a tahini dessert rampage, if there is such a thing. I’ve made tahini tea cake and tahini cookies and dreamt about all the ways that Ottelenghi uses tahini in his sweets that I get to experience when we’re in London in a few months. Basically, if you’ve invested in sesame seeds recently and seen off the chart returns, I take 100 percent credit.
Anyways. Back to the molten cake. The good news is that the preparation is surprisingly simple, but the trick comes when you bake. Knowing just when your cakes are perfect molten levels is tough, considering you can’t poke lest you let out all the good stuff and if you flip too early you end up with a real messy albeit delicious pile of cake goo.
So I’ll leave you with my one piece of advice. Watch it carefully. Look for the browning color. Where you choose to err is up to you: too early leads to aforementioned pile of cake goo (delicious). Too late leads to fully set tiny cake (also delicious but far less dramatic, especially when you’re expecting some ooze). Get it right, and you’ll find a perfectly set outside with a combination of warm tahini and chocolate in the center that runs out in the most elegant of ways. So the thing is, you can’t go wrong.
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 eggs, whites and yolks separated + 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ cup pistachios, tasted and chopped
- Confectioners sugar, for dusting
- Melt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Transfer to a large bowl, stir in tahini and salt. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then stir in egg whites.
- Meanwhile, beat the 6 egg yolks in an electric mixer for 3 minutes. Add brown sugar and beat for an additional 8 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
- Fold yolk mixture into tahini. Gently stir in flour and cocoa powder. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375F. Generously butter 6 compartments in a 12 cup muffin tin on all sides (I tend to use the 6 in the center to help with even baking). Divide batter evenly among the 6 compartments. Bake for 12-14 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. You'll know they're done when they puff and slightly brown around the edges. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto serving platter or cutting board. Transfer with spatula to individual plates. Sprinkle with pistachios and confectioners sugar to finish.
Recipe adapted from Food52.
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