Black Sesame Cake Recipe
Mineral-rich black sesame cake with calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc. Moist, vegan, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened with dates.
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 228kcal
Equipment
- 1 Loaf pan 9 × 5-inch nonstick loaf pan or 8-inch square nonstick baking pan
- 1 small skillet for toasting seeds
- 1 spice grinder or blender for grinding sesame seeds
- 1 Blender
- 1 Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 cup Medjool dates 7 large dates
- ¼ cup black sesame seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened nondairy milk plus more as needed
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 ½ cups buckwheat flour
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1 tablespoon whole psyllium husks
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste (optional)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Soak dates: Cover the pitted dates with hot water for 10 minutes, then drain well.
- Prepare the black sesame seeds: Lightly toast the black sesame seeds. Place them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Stir frequently and toast very lightly, just until fragrant.Transfer immediately to a plate and let them cool completely. Avoid heavy toasting, which can make the sesame taste bitter.Pulse the cooled seeds in a spice grinder or suitable blender until they form a fine meal.Use short pulses and stop before the mixture becomes oily or forms a paste. Set aside to add with the other dry ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an loaf pan with parchment paper or use a nonstick pan.
- Blend the wet ingredients: Blend the dates, applesauce, nondairy milk, walnuts, and vanilla until completely smooth and creamy.Stop and scrape down the blender as needed. Thorough blending helps give this date cake an even crumb.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, ground flaxseed, whole psyllium husks, baking powder, baking soda, and optional salt.Add the ground black sesame seeds and mix well, breaking down any clumps.
- Fold the blended mixture into the dry ingredients just until no dry flour remains. Stir in the apple cider vinegar.The batter should be thick and sticky but spreadable. If needed, add extra nondairy milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, using no more than 3 additional tablespoons.
- Optional extra lift: After mixing, sift an additional ¼ teaspoon baking soda evenly over the batter and fold it in thoroughly. Add 1 teaspoon additional apple cider vinegar, stir briefly, and transfer to the pan immediately.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes on the middle rack. Check the cake at 30 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely tent with foil. For a lightly glossy finish, brush the top with a little oil at this stage, if desired, then continue baking until the center is set.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Cool completely before slicing so the crumb has time to firm up.
Video
Notes
Each slice provides approximately 2 mg of iron (11% DV) and 100 mg of magnesium (24% DV).
Whole psyllium husk: Use 1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder instead of 1 tablespoon whole psyllium husks.
I recommend the loaf pan featured here.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 184mg | Potassium: 422mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 13g | Calcium: 135mg | Iron: 2mg
