Tahini Pound Cake

a Regina-cookie inspired tea cake

Regina cookies, a hard Sicilian biscuit coated with sesame seeds, is one of my all-time favorites. Few bakeries do them as well as my beloved Court Pastry back in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. I suppose it’s also possible their cookies are my benchmark for the best because it’s what I grew up eating. They’re a sturdy cookie, and last for months so I try to stock up on a stash of them when I go back for a visit.

Surprisingly, it’s a cookie I’ve yet to make myself, although my aunt used to make them as part of her holiday cookie assortment. Perhaps I’ve got her recipe buried somewhere in my files. The photos from this recipe in Italy Magazine look quite good so maybe I’ll give it a try soon.

I found myself overstocked on tahini recently, remnants from a pantry CSA I participated in. They made some really odd choices for the CSA (hello, 3 pounds of sundried tomatoes–why?). While tahini isn’t an odd choice, I already had two jars in the house thanks to some accidental grocery purchases. For a few months now it’s been sitting there silently taunting me.

Last week I had a craving for Regina cookies and pound cake, and since tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, I wondered about using it in place of some of the butter to make a pound cake. The idea of a tahini pound cake isn’t a new one. Recipes exist, though not abundantly, but like so many pound cakes, the ones that do exist veer far from the idea of a pound cake, which at its heart is meant to be equal parts butter (or fat), eggs, flour and sugar.

I decided to repurpose one of my old pound cake recipes, replacing some of the butter with tahini, and adding a liberal amount of sesame seeds to coat the baking tin and also top the cake itself. One bite, and I realized my cookie craving had come to life in cake form. It’s the perfect pairing with a steaming cup of tea any time of day.

It’s a slushy, snowy morning here, and we’re already keeping an eye on a Nor'easter headed my way Monday into Tuesday. So much for spring being imminent! Be well, and remember to be kind. –xo, j.

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