Black Sesame Sponge Cake

Holding a similar appearance to the Japanese castella (kasutera) cake, this sponge cake flaunts an attractive contrast of its golden top and bottom. Like the castella cake, the high sugar content allows for effective caramelization of the outer layers, while the bread flour gives the cake structure and chew.

However, this recipe does not use the traditional method for making castella cake—the egg whites and yolks are whipped separately and combined later, offering a slightly fluffier texture to go with the nutty flavor of black sesame.

Black Sesame Sponge Cake
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 55 mins
Yield: 8 slices

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated
• 110 g granulated sugar
• 15 g toasted black sesame seeds, crushed into powder
• 90 g bread flour
  
  

Directions

1. Separate egg whites into a large bowl and egg yolks into a smaller bowl.
2. Using a hand whisk on medium speed, beat egg whites until you reach soft peaks. Slowly add sugar and beat on medium high until you have stiff peaks that are smooth and shiny.
3. Break the egg yolks and whisk until lighter in color. Add crushed sesame seeds and combine well.
4. Add ¼ of the fluffy egg whites to the egg yolks and quickly whisk together to combine until there are no streaks left.
5. Add egg yolk mixture back to the egg whites and use a rubber spatula to fold the mixture until no streaks remain. Sift in the flour in three increments, folding to combine well between each. Make sure you don’t overfold and deflate the mixture.
6. Pour the batter into the lined pan. Drag a skewer or chopstick through the batter to get rid of any large air pockets and to smooth out the top.
7. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 320°F and continue baking for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the cake.
8. After removing the cake from the oven, immediately turn out and wrap with plastic wrap. Let cool at room temperature upside down, and transfer to refrigerator to rest for at least 12 hours to retain moisture and develop flavor.
9. When serving, trim off the four sides to leave a dark contrasting top and bottom. Slice the cake into 8 slices and serve with tea, coffee, or fruit.

Per slice (edges removed): 114 calories: 17.7 g carbs; 2.9 g fat; 3.9 g protein