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Bird's eye view of black sesame cake with one slice cut on a grey background
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5 from 1 vote

Black Sesame Cake

A wonderfully moist, nutty black sesame cake with a luscious black sesame frosting
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 1 8 inch cake
Author: Monique Laloli

Equipment

  • 1 8 inch cake pan

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 1 cup black sesame almond milk can substitute plain almond milk, see notes
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1½ cups all-purpose white flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

For the frosting:

  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter room temperature
  • 1½ cups powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons black sesame seeds
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt

Instructions

Make the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the bottom with circle of parchment paper.
  • Stir black sesame almond milk and vinegar together in a large glass measuring cup. Set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
  • Briskly mix vegetable oil, water, lemon juice and vanilla extract into black sesame almond milk mixture using a fork. Using a rubber spatula, stir milk mixture into flour mixture until batter is lump-free. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30-35 minutes. Start checking to see if cake is done at 30 minutes.
  • Allow cake to cool in pan over a cooling rack for 15 minutes, then turn cake out of pan to cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting:

  • Toast the black sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Put them in a plastic zip-lock bag and bash with a rolling pin until you get a rough powder. Alternatively, put them in a food processor until roughly ground.
  • In a medium bowl using a hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat the butter until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually sift in the powdered sugar and beat until combined. Beat in the black sesame powder, vanilla and salt until combined. Frost the cake.

Notes

  • If you can't find black sesame almond milk for the cake, you can use regular almond milk, but you will need to add 3 tablespoons ground black sesame powder to the plain almond milk.
  • Cake can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3 days.
  • If you want the cake to last longer, it can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, but make sure to bring it to room temperature before eating (otherwise the frosting won't be soft & creamy).