Chewy Black Sesame Cake

By Eric Kim

Published September 22, 2026

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
1 hr 15 min
Rating
5(19)
Comments
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This simple yet regal cake, adapted from Eric Kim’s cookbook “Korean American” (Clarkson Potter, 2022), tastes like a mix between songpyeon, the honey and sesame-filled rice cakes served during Chuseok, the Korean fall harvest festival, and the kind of chewy black sesame rolls you might find at a Korean bakery. The density of the batter forces the celestial black sesame crumble upward so that it forms a perfect black line, which acts as a sweet, nutty brittle atop the squidgy vanilla base.

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Ingredients

Yield:1 (8-inch) cake

  • Cooking spray

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1 cup/200 grams sugar

  • ¼ cup/84 grams honey

  • ¾ teaspoon coarse kosher salt, such as Morton

  • 1 cup/237 milliliters whole milk

  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil

  • 4 tablespoons/38 grams toasted black sesame seeds, divided

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 8 ounces/227 grams glutinous rice flour (a.k.a. mochiko or sweet rice flour)

  • Powdered sugar, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Mist an 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, honey, and salt until fluffy and pale yellow, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk, vanilla, melted butter and sesame oil until combined.

  3. Step 3

    Using a mortar and pestle (or a coffee or spice grinder), pulverize 2 tablespoons of the black sesame seeds into a rough powder. It should smell very fragrant. Add this sesame powder, along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of whole black sesame seeds, to the bowl with the egg mixture, followed by the baking powder and rice flour. Whisk to combine, then carefully pour the batter into the greased cake pan.

  4. Step 4

    Bake until the top is nicely browned and cracked slightly (this is a good sign), 50 to 60 minutes. You can also insert a chopstick or toothpick into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, then you’re done.

  5. Step 5

    Cool the cake in pan for 5 minutes, then turn it onto a wire rack and let cool completely before dusting with the powdered sugar and slicing into wedges to serve. This cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
19 user ratings
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Comments

Eric Kim

Yeah, definitely. The milk is the least important ingredient. I've done this w/ oat milk, I'm sure it'd be tasty w/ coconut milk, etc. Enjoy and Happy Chuseok, Eric

Ben Greene

I’m a bit confused. The instructions say to mix everything together, but how does that result in the attractive top layer of black sesame seen in the photograph?

Johnny Eastport

Even better than I was expecting.

Awake

I don’t like the dense texture of rice flour. Would this work with AP flour?

AP.

How should I toast the sesame seeds, and is toasted sesame oil something I can get off the shelf?

AB

You can get toasted black sesame seeds on Amazon, and you can buy toasted sesame oil on the shelf of most large grocery stores.

Steven

Wow! My first Korean desert and it came out fantastic! Eric did it again as I’ve had success with his other recipes. Followed the recipe exactly with the help of Chef Google. I drink almond milk, seldom have whole milk on hand, but always have heavy cream available with its longer shelf life for baking recipes. Two-thirds almond milk and one third heavy cream is about the equivalent of whole milk fat content in a one cup measurement. Next time, thanks to Eric’s comment, it might be interesting to try coconut milk with which I’ve had great success in other NYT deserts. I have a perfectly calibrated Wolfe oven, but at 350 degrees, it took almost 70 minutes to bake when the top was browned, cracked and passed the clean toothpick test. Sweetness and chewiness were perfect; a delightfully different type of cake.

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Credits

Adapted from “Korean American” by Eric Kim (Clarkson Potter, 2022)

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