I have always been intrigued by these little black sesame seeds. Usually I’m not too fond of the normal white sesame seeds, but with the black ones, there’s a smokey and nutty aroma to it that makes smell ever so nice! My favourite chinese dessert has got to be Black Sesame Tong Sui / paste. Mom said it’s good for the hair cause it keeps it black and shiny (*ahem I really should eat more of it)

Now, what exactly is sesame seed is where did it come from ? Look what I found

Sesame seeds are believed to be one of the worlds’ first spices. The earliest recorded use of sesame seeds as a spice can be traced to an Assyrian legend, which claimed that the gods drank sesame-based wine before creating the earth. Sesame seeds are still a main spice and food source throughout Asia and parts of Europe and Africa.

*excerpt from Naturopathy Digest

The last I did was a black sesame ice cream (with soy milk afogatto) and choux puffs with black sesame creme patisserie. Oh, and a black sesame mousse cake with ginger sponge. This is the 2nd or 3rd time I’ve made this black sesame chiffon cake. I bought a black sesame paste from the Taiwan booth during a food expo 1 or 2 years ago. Yes, I usually get weird and funny ingredients in food expo, especially those I can’t get them out in the stores. Haha, more like samples? lol But I got a huge bottle of this black sesame paste for just RM20, which I thought was a good bargain. 2 years later, still half a bottle left

My next bakes with black sesame probably will be macaron, entremet or the black sesame tong sui itself. Knowing that I’ve never made an actual tong sui before *thinks really hard* I should try tee hee hee. These days, I feel like making so many stuffs but I just don’t have the time to do so during weekdays (Not during weekends either; busy me) As usually, the things I WANT to make take more than 2 or 3 hours to execute it, or at least overnight chilling. ppfftt

Ah, ok. Back to this cake.

Recipe is from Okashi, (the book I had to fly across the straits to get it, just kidding. I WAS just there.) Why silly me, I could have just used Book Depository instead.

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake

(makes a 20cm round tube pan)

5 egg whites
90g caster sugar
10g rice or corn flour

70g All Purpose Flour
5 egg yolks
20g brown sugar
30g black sesame paste
60ml soy milk
40g oil (preferably vegetable / canola oil)
20g toasted sesame seeds

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 170 C. Sift flour.

2. Combine egg yolks, brown sugar and black sesame paste in a bowl and mix well. Add soy milk and oil mix well. Add flour and mix until batter becomes sticky, then fold in black sesame seeds.

3. Make meringue. Combine sugar and rice / corn flour. Beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar mixture and continue whisking till egg whites are glossy and with firm but not too stiff peaks.

4. Add 1/3 of meringue into egg yolk mixture and fold lightly. Add in the remaining, fold to incorporate completely. Be gentle.

5. Pour batter into and ungreased chiffon cake tube pan (Do not grease or line the pan). Level the batter, back for 40-50 minutes. When cake is done, remove from the oven and turn it over, leaving it to cool.

6. To remove chiffon cake from pan, use a spatula, run along the sides of the cake to release it. Then using the spatula, run the bottom of the cake, where it’s stuck to the pan. Then turn over onto a plate, it will just naturally fall out.