This black sesame chocolate cake combines the deep, nutty flavor of ground black sesame seeds with rich melted chocolate, for a cake that's dense, moist, and a little different from your typical chocolate cake. It comes together in one bowl with simple pantry staples, and it's ready in well under an hour.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola oil works well)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup black sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped up chocolate bar -divided (half melted into the batter, half folded in as chips or chopped pieces)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare a 9x9 baking tray with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper with any cooking spray.
- Add the black sesame seeds to a blender and grind into a flour-like consistency.
- Place the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl. Using a whisk or electric mixer (set to medium speed), beat the eggs for about 2 minutes, until slightly thickened and pale.
- Beat in the oil and vanilla extract.
- Microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for about 30 seconds, stir, and if not melted, microwave it for another 20 seconds. Then add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture and beat the batter well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the ground black sesame seeds, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a spatula to fold the ingredients together until just combined.
- Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate with the spatula.
- Pour the batter into the prepared 9x9 inch baking pan and bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes. Take the black sesame chocolate cake out of the oven and insert a toothpick into the center. It should come out with a few crumbs on it. That's ok. As it cools, it will cook.
- Set the baking pan over a wire rack for the cake to cool.
- This black sesame chocolate cake can be served as is. Or, it can be smeared with a chocolate ganache, a simple chocolate frosting, or whipped cream.
Video
Notes
Grind the sesame seeds finely. A high-speed blender or spice grinder gives the best texture. Coarsely ground seeds can leave a gritty bite.
Don't overbake. Since this is a dense, fudgy-style cake, pull it from the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out mostly clean. A few minutes too long can dry it out. I speak from experience. While I experimented with this recipe, I baked it on several different settings and times. I found that the 25-minute mark on a gas stove results in a cake with the best crumb. Not dry nor too gooey.
Beat the eggs fully. The full 2 minutes of beating helps give the cake some lift, since there isn't a large amount of flour or leavening in this recipe.
Let the melted chocolate cool slightly before beating it into the egg mixture, so it doesn't scramble the eggs.
Use room-temperature eggs if possible, for a smoother batter.
Don't overbake. Since this is a dense, fudgy-style cake, pull it from the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out mostly clean. A few minutes too long can dry it out. I speak from experience. While I experimented with this recipe, I baked it on several different settings and times. I found that the 25-minute mark on a gas stove results in a cake with the best crumb. Not dry nor too gooey.
Beat the eggs fully. The full 2 minutes of beating helps give the cake some lift, since there isn't a large amount of flour or leavening in this recipe.
Let the melted chocolate cool slightly before beating it into the egg mixture, so it doesn't scramble the eggs.
Use room-temperature eggs if possible, for a smoother batter.
Would You Like to Save This?
Nutrition
Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 56mg | Sodium: 220mg | Potassium: 251mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 90IU | Vitamin C: 0.004mg | Calcium: 139mg | Iron: 3mg
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @SavorySpin or tag #savoryspin so we can share your creation.