Zaatar Cake
My mom called me last week and told me she has been making this cake for the past few months and it has been a hit with the family and her friends. I didn’t know what to expect but let me tell you this is a fantastic recipe! It is darn good and so easy to make that no one is intimidated to make it! This zaatar cake needs very little effort and only a handful of ingredients to be made. It is full of flavor, super moist, and gives the house such a beautiful aroma.
What Zaatar is used in this Zaatar Cake?
For those who may be wondering, zaatar is the Arabic word for a few things. Many of you may know zaatar as that seasoning blend made up of sesame seeds, sumac, fine dried thyme, and fine dried oregano. Zaatar however is also the name for oregano and/or thyme in Arabic.
Any zaatar can be used in this recipe but dried or fresh oregano would be best as it has the most flavor. It also goes beautifully with the cheese in the batter. I promise you that you will be enjoying a slice daily of this savory zaatar cake.
This is the type of dish that you can make on the weekend with your children and enjoy with a warm cup of mint tea. It also goes perfectly served with some fresh tomato and cucumber slices on the side. I love it along with some fresh cheese as well. It really is a delightful bite that I urge you to try. It is definitely a recipe that will be on repeat in my household and I am sure for many of you as well. Just give it a try!
Here are a few other recipes with zaatar that you should make sometime:
Za’atar Cake
Ingredients
- 2 cups Milk
- 2 Eggs
- 1 cup Vegetable oil You can use olive oil or do half of each oil
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- Sprinkle of salt
- 1 cup Dried Oregano or Fresh Oregano (Za'atar) Za'atar seasoning mix will work as well but it will not be as potent in flavor
- 1 cup Arabian cheese or Queso Fresco cheese, cubed or Nabulsi cheese, halloumi cheese, feta cheese, (about 5 oz)
Topping
- 1/2 cup Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Prep a 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- First, mix together the oil, milk, and eggs very well together.
- To this, add the flour, baking powder, salt, and za'atar. Mix together until creamy and smooth. Then, add the chunks of cheese and gently mix.
- Pour the batter into the prepped pan 3/4 of the way because the cake will rise when it bakes. Top off with sesame seeds evenly throughout.
- Bake for about 40 minutes. Broil for a minute to achieve a light brown color on top. Check the center of the cake by inserting a toothpick and checking doneness. It should come out clean if the cake is done. If not, keep it in a few minutes longer. Allow to cool to room temperature before cutting into the cake. Enjoy as is with a cup of mint tea or with a side of fresh cheese and veggies.
Notes
Literally my new favorite breakfast!! Its so easy to make and tastes amazing!
Wallahi, this has got to be the easiest thing to make!!! The za’atar cake is so light it absolutely tastes great with a cup of tea. Thank you Heifa for the recipe
So simple to make and came out delicious! Super light and moist! I definitely love savory more than sweet and this was amazing! Definitely making this again and again!
So do I! I am happy you enjoyed it !
Just made this! Came out sooo good. Never had a savory cake before but this one was perfect. I added some dried basil and mozzarella cheese in as well. Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Best savory cake you could ever make. Everyone loved it. Thank you for this amazing recipe
It’s definitely a family favorite. We finished half of the zataar cake while it was still steaming hot. 😋
Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Such a delicious, easy recipe that the whole family enjoyed! Will definitely be making it again.
Delicious and moist it was so easy to make too! Perfect with a cup of maramia or mint tea.
Love love the zataar cake! So light & tasty. Definitely will be making more to freeze
This was amazing! It was like eating moajinat with out the headache and mess! Can’t wait to make it again this week!
Amazing cake!! So soft and savory. You can change up the cheeses and it still tastes so good! Tastes perfect with honey on top too. And so easy to make!!!
Incredibly simple and yet incredibly delicious! Everyone loved it. Tried in a loaf tin and worked great as well. I like to add more zaatar than the recipe calls because I love the flavor, but it is amazing as is.
Thank you, Yasmin! So happy you like it!
This looks AMAZING – can’t wait to make it!!
If I’m using zaatar mix (what I have at home), should I use more than 1 cup because you said the flavour may be less potent?
Also for cheese – if I choose to go with feta or mozeralla cheese, do I still add them in cubes and about a cup?
Thanks!
This is soooo tasty! I just used the mozzarella cheese that I had on hand and used half fresh oregano and half dried. I sliced up some cucumber and tomatoes with it. Both comforting and refreshing, this zaatar cake is definitely a new favorite recipe! Thank you for sharing! Xoxo.
Delicious recipe, took less than 10 minutes to get ready and exactly 35 min in the oven and tasted so good right out of the oven !
It’s sensational! So moist and delicious. I used Halloumi cheese instead and increased the quantity coz we are cheese lovers! And it turned out to be very delicious. Was part of the games night dinner I made and it was wiped out right away. Making this again for sure.
This zaatar cake was delicious mashAllah 😋😋 I loved it and with a cup of mint tea even better 👌 this recipe is definitely a keeper. Thanks for the recipe. I did use zaatar blend (1cup) and it worked and I used 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Next time I would just add more cheese because we love cheese 😃
Loved this zaatar cake so much! I used fresh oregano leaves, nabulsi cheese and half cup olive and half vegetable oil instead of all veg. Oil. Can’t wait to make it again, it’s super easy and delicious. Thank you Heifa♥️
Loved this zaatar cake recipe so much! I ised fresh oregano leaves, nabulsi cheese and half cup vegetable oil and onother half olive oil. It turned out so delicious and I can’t wait to make it again but will be using a bigger pan for next time. Thank you Heifa♥️
This was amazing! Literally took no effort! The only thing i did differently was use oat milk which i had to cook a 10 minutes longer! My family loved it, it a great breakfast and snack. This is definitely something i have to make probably every couple of days because it’s already half way gone after just making it! Thank you Heifa for sharing your tasty and easy to make recipes with the world!
Amazing recipe and it was so easy to make!! My family loved it!
Awesome to hear that!
I tried this cake twice, and both times it was a huge hit! It was insanely easy, and honestly, I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. It’s my go-to cake recipe from now on. If you’re debating making this, consider this a sign to get in the kitchen and do it!
PS: I used Fetta cheese and it was PERFECT.
Yes!! Isn’t it amazing?? We love it in our household too!
Changed my relationship with cake forever…can’t host without this recipe anymore because my guests won’t let me!
That makes me so happy to hear!
Awesome recipe!! Super easy to make and makes enough for the whole fam! I used Halloumi cheese I had on hand instead.
Thank you, Dana!
This recipe is so easy and so delicious. Its the perfect thing to have in the morning with a cup of tea. Really recommend you try this out.
Yes, it is fabulous with a cup of mint tea in the morning! Glad you enjoyed it!
My family and I absolutely loved these zatar cakes. I made them into cupcakes. It’s an easy and delicious recipe which I was able to make twice in one day. This recipe was perfect because I had dried zatar leaves from Jordan which I was waiting to use. I Highly recommend this recipe for a quick and healthy breakfast idea.
Thank you, Amal for the lovely review.
This was such a hit! So flavorful, fluffy and it made a yummy breakfast. I actually baked them in a muffin pan and they turned out so good. Definitely making this again soon.
Thanks, Kristel. This makes me happy!
Yum! Easy recipe and a great tasting savory cake. This is my first time trying a savory cake and it’s amazing.
Hi! I made this cake and it was moist and delicious but it didn’t look as pretty as yours. I was hoping to share the picture of mine with you so that you can tell me why. I don’t know how to send it to you.
Hi Dalia,
I’m happy you liked it and would love to help. You can send a photo via Instagram or email.
I can’t believe how quickly this recipe comes together and how much everyone in my family always loves it!!! Wayy easier than fatayer and similar yumminess. I felt like using half olive oil made a great difference in flavor and would recommend. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks for the lovely review, Nada
Another amazing recipe! Thank you for sharing. This came out perfectly and so delicious with tea. Next time I might try with some Kalamata Olive pieces in the batter- do you think that would work well or be too salty?
My pleasure, Deniz!
Made this twice before and loved it. So did my family. Plan on making it again this weekend but realized I don’t have queso fresco. Do you think a mix of queso Blanco and mozzarella would work?
Hi Rana,
I am so sorry for the late reply but yes, queso blanco would work. Mozzarella not so much because it will completely melt.
Took this to my in laws… and now they always request it! so yummy 😋
Hi Heifa! Do you think these could be made as muffins? If so, how? Thanks!
Hi Hena, yes! Spray your muffin tin generously then pour the batter into each cup, top with sesame, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Made it for breakfast and it was a hit! Super easy and delicious!