Chocolate Sesame Oil Cake | Recipe

Throughout the writing of this book, my husband, Miles, has been very concerned with the number of chocolate offerings (he worships chocolate). Don’t get me wrong, I like chocolate, too. Earthy and comforting, I find it’s a natural match for a pantry staple of mine: sesame oil. I love this ingredient for its deeply nutty flavor, profound fragrance, and ability to add instant dimension. And while I use it mostly (basically, always) for savoury cooking, these qualities are exactly what makes this cake so good.

This cake is moist and tender, covered with a thick chocolate and sesame paste ganache, and speckled with toasted sesame seeds for a bit of savoury crunch. The ganache will set over time, but I like it best when it’s still gooey, glossy, and warm.

Makes 23cm cake

Ingredients

Sesame Oil Cake

• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
• ½ cup (50g) unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ cup (120g) boiling water
• 1½ teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 148ml of bottle pure sesame oil
• (about 2/3 cup)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons (30g) sesame paste

Ganache and Garnish

• 56g dark chocolate (70% cacao),
• finely chopped
• ¼ cup (60g) heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons (7g) sesame paste
• Pinch of kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons black and white sesame seeds, toasted

Method

For the sesame oil cake:

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 23-cm round cake pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder.

In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the boiling water and instant coffee.

To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, add the eggs, egg yolk, sugar, sesame oil, vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until thickened and lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Beat in the sesame paste.

With the mixer on lowest speed, add half of the flour mixture and (immediately) half of the coffee mixture. Mix until just combined. Repeat, mixing until just combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until the top is dry and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean with a few sticky crumbs, 32-34 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Run a small offset spatula around the perimeter to loosen the edges. Invert the cake onto the wire rack. Remove the parchment. Invert again onto another wire rack so it sits right side up. Let cool completely before transferring to a cake plate.

For the sesame ganache and garnish:

In a medium bowl, add the chocolate. In a small saucepan, whisk together the heavy cream, sugar, sesame paste, and salt. Heat over medium heat until it just starts to simmer. Don’t let it boil. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla. Let the ganache cool for a minute or so. (Basically, you don’t want the ganache to be too liquidy before pouring it over the cake. It should drip off the whisk thick and slow.)

Pour the ganache over the cake, right in the centre. Spread evenly, coaxing a few thick lazy drips over the sides in a few places. Let gravity do most of the work here. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.