Raspberry Black Sesame Cake
This cake combines sweet raspberry jam with nutty black sesame. It’s a cake that can be enjoyed all year long.Yield: 6-inch cake layer cake
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Black Sesame Cake:
- 1/3 cup black sesame paste* (recipe follows)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup black sesame flour/powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 10 Tablespoons (6 oz) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup whole milk, room temp
Black Sesame Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 1 cup (8 oz) unsalted butter, room temp
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1 Tablespoon black sesame paste*
- 2 Tablespoons black sesame flour/powder
- 2 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
- pinch of fine sea salt
Black Sesame Paste (makes enough for cake & frosting):
- 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
Other Components:
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam
- freeze dried raspberries, as needed to garnish
- fresh raspberries, to garnish
Instructions
Black Sesame Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line three 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Lightly grease pans and set aside.
- Whisk together flour, baking sesame flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter. Add sugar and mix until smooth. Scrape down bowl as needed. Add eggs, vanilla, and black sesame paste. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down bowl as needed.
- In three additions, alternate adding dry mixture and milk. Mix on low speed. Scrape down bowl occasionally to ensure all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Divide batter among prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before unmolding. Place cake on wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
Black Sesame Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add black sesame paste, black sesame flour, powdered sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed. Scrape down bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
Black Sesame Paste:
- Pulse black sesame seeds in a food processor. Process until almost all the seeds have been ground into a powder. Add honey and corn syrup. Continue to process until thick paste is achieved.
Assembly:
- Place 6-inch cake ring mold and place it over a cake board. Cut acetate strip to line the inside of the cake ring. If necessary tape together acetates to fit height of cake.
- Working with the cake layers one a time, crumble the cake layer into scraps. Take the scrapes to make the first layer of the cake inside the ring. Using the palm of your hand or the bottom of a drinking glass, push the scraps together into a flat and even layer.
- Spread 1/4 cup raspberry jam in an even layer over cake. Spread about 1/2 cup of black sesame frosting over the jam.
- Add another layer of cake scraps. Repeat the process from first layer. Add the third layer of cake and cover with remaining 1/2 cup frosting.
- Let cake chill in the fridge for at least one hour (overnight is best). Gently remove cake ring mold and peel off the acetate strip while cake is cold. Garnish cake with crumbled freeze dried raspberries and any additional black sesame cake crumbs. Allow to cake to sit for 10 minutes to soften before serving.
Notes
- For the black sesame paste, you can substitute black sesame flour/powder instead of seeds. This may slightly change the darkness of your paste.
- Black sesame flour/powder can be found at Asian supermarkets. It is usually stocked with the baking, tea, or breakfast products.