Black Sesame Coffee Cake

Classic moist sour cream coffee cake meets my favorite nutty and nostalgic ingredient-- BLACK SESAME.

One treat that I’m alwaysssss craving is somehow just a wonderful tender and moist coffee cake. It’s a dessert at heart, but as a society, we’ve made it something that’s associated with our favorite morning beverage, so I’ve always felt like it was the perfect breakfast dessert. So naturally, every morning during my morning coffee, I crave pairing it with a great big piece of coffee cake.

It’s hard to beat the classic cinnamon/brown sugar combo. That is, unless you have black sesame on hand. If asked, I will ALWAYS choose black sesame over cinnamon. I’ve eaten so many black sesame desserts growing up in a Chinese household that it definitely holds a special place in my heart. Any time I taste the gritty nutty goodness of black sesame, I rejoice.

This recipe for a Black Sesame Coffee Cake is the perfect marriage between two greats. It’s easy to make and an absolute stunner and crowd pleaser!

Black Sesame Coffee Cake Recipe

makes 1 8x8 inch cake

Ingredients

for the black sesame crumb
1/2 cup (60g) black sesame seeds
2/3 cup (133g) dark or light brown sugar
1/2 cup (64g) all purpose flour
6 tablespoons (84g) cold unsalted butter, cubed

for the cake
1 3/4 cups (220g) all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (141g) unsalted butter, room temp
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50g) dark or light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup (160g) sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

for vanilla glaze
3/4 cup (90g) powdered sugar
1 1/2 tablespoon milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep black sesame crumb

1. Place black sesame seeds into a small or medium pan and place over medium-low heat stirring constantly to toast the seeds. After about 5-7 minutes, seeds should smell nutty and fragrant. Be careful not to burn the seeds. Remove from heat and pour into a shallow bowl to cool.

2. Once cooled, pour seeds into a blender or food processor to grind into a powder.

3. In a large bowl, mix together ground black sesame, brown sugar, and flour. Add cold butter and with a fork or your hands, break the butter up into the flour mixture until crumbly with some bigger and some smaller clumps. Chill in fridge until needed later.

Mix the cake batter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a separate large mixing bowl, beat together butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Mix in eggs one at a time. Then add sour cream and vanilla and mix well.

5. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined.

Assemble cake and bake

1. Place half of the cake batter into a lined 8x8 inch baking pan. Spread the batter evenly.

2. Sprinkle about half the black sesame crumb over the batter evenly.

3. Spoon the rest of the cake batter over the crumb mixture and carefully spread it out evenly. I think this is best done with an offset spatula.

4. Sprinkle the rest of the black sesame crumb on top, making sure to evenly spread over all the edges as well.

5. Bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

6. Remove from oven and let cool completely.

Vanilla Glaze (Optional)

1. In a medium bowl, combine all glaze ingredients and whisk together. Drizzle over the cooled cake and let the glaze set before slicing and enjoy!