Perfectly Delicious – What More Could You Want?!
Sesame and lemon – one of my favorite flavor combinations. I’ve tried a couple different recipes in which these flavors are used in a cake, but I haven’t been satisfied yet, so I set out to make my own recipe. This way I could be assured it would be exactly what I wanted it to be – chock full of lemon and sesame flavors, moist and tender crumb, and a crunchy crust.
I started with the baking pan – I wanted this to be a bundt cake. Normally, I spray my bundt pans with Baker’s Joy and then dust lightly with almond flour. I’ve found this to be 100% effective for releasing the cake from the pan. But I wanted the crunch and flavor of a sesame seed coating on the cake, and decided to take my chances with using only softened butter and then a heavy coating of sesame seeds. I was hoping the sesame seeds would serve as an insurance policy when it came to releasing the cake from the pan. By the way, I opted for black sesame seeds ,* rather than white, because they’re more intensely flavored.
Seeing as how I already have a favorite basic bundt cake recipe, I saw no reason to reinvent the wheel. Going back to my recipe for The Cake, as It’s Known in My Home , I tweaked a few ingredients in order to emphasize the flavors I wanted for this cake. I used 2 tablespoons of lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the batter, figuring this would be perfect for the lemon flavor. Then I added a little toasted sesame oil in order to make sure I had enough sesame flavor.
As I explained in my recipe for The Cake , this is old school – there’s plenty of sugar, butter, eggs, oil, and a cup of 7Up in the batter. I’ve yet to taste a bundt cake that tops this one. It’s not a dense pound cake, the crumb is tender and fluffy. The flavor is buttery, but the oil keeps it moist.
The batter will practically come to the top of a 10 cup bundt pan ,* but I’ve never had it overflow. I tried baking it in a 12 cup bundt pan once and I was disappointed because it looked flat. It didn’t hurt the taste, but it wasn’t as pretty. If you only have the original 12 cup bundt pan, go ahead and use it, but you won’t need to bake it quite as long.
Well, as you can see here, the sesame seed/butter coating in the pan worked beautifully. The cake came right out of the pan after cooling for 15 minutes. Whew!
As with my recipe for The Cake , I brushed on a lemon glaze in which the granulated sugar never fully dissolves, so it dries to a crackle-like finish on the cake. Again, I added a little sesame oil to it in order to be sure I’d get enough sesame flavor in the whole cake. I originally ran into this glaze recipe on David Lebowitz’s blog. He says he got it from Gina DePalma and all I can tell you is that I love it.
But here’s the thing about this glaze. It dries to a cloudy finish, which is fine on a golden colored cake, but on this one it made the cake look almost gray in color. Not the most delicious looking thing I’ve ever seen. So, out came the powdered sugar. I don’t know if you’ve ever used non-melting powdered sugar ,* but I keep a bag on hand and use it for baked goods that won’t be eaten right away. As the name states, it does not melt into the cake. It remains white and fresh looking. You could definitely use regular powdered sugar, but if you’ve got the non-melting type, now is the perfect time to use it.
Satisfied with the way it looked, the true test was in the tasting and I could not be more satisfied. Delicious in every respect. My quest for a sesame lemon bundt cake is now fully realized and oh, man, is it good!
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Black Sesame Lemon Bundt Cake
10-12
servingsI added plenty of lemon zest, lemon juice, black sesame seeds, and toasted sesame oil to my favorite bundt cake recipe and it turned out splendidly! I brushed on a crackly glaze and finished it off with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar. As pretty as it is delicious.
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Ingredients
80 grams (1/2 cup) black sesame seeds ,* divided in half
600 grams (3 cups) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
2 sticks salted butter (8 ounces) room temperature, plus 2 tablespoons for greasing the pan
1/2 cup neutral vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
5 large eggs, room temperature
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup 7 Up, room temperature
390 grams (3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar for dusting on the cake (I used non-melting powdered sugar ,* but you could also use the regular type)
- Crackle Glaze
67 grams (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
120 grams (1 cup) powdered sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350° with a rack in the center. Using your fingers, rub 2 tablespoons of softened butter all over the inside of a 10 cup bundt pan .* I find that using my fingers helps me get into all the cracks and crevices of the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup black sesame seeds * all over they inside of the pan, making sure you’ve got the pan's crevices fully coated in seeds.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix together the lemon zest and sugar on medium speed until the zest is evenly distributed and the mixture is very fragrant - 2 to 3 minutes. Add the softened butter, vegetable oil, and sesame oil. Mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing each one until thoroughly incorporated before adding the next egg. Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, blending on low speed. Add half the 7 Up and blend on low speed until it’s mostly incorporated. Add half the flour and continue to mix on low speed until almost fully blended. Repeat with the remaining 7 Up, and then add the remaining flour and the remaining 1/4 cup of black sesame seeds .*
- Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared pan. You don’t want to dislodge the sesame seed coating in the pan. Smooth out the top and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour, or until a wooden skewer comes out clean. As with any cake, I start checking for doneness early - at the 55 minute mark. Remove to a wire rack and let cool for 15 minutes, using this time to make the glaze.
- Turn the cake out of the pan onto a cooling rack. Place a sheet of parchment paper under the rack in order to catch any glaze that runs off the cake. Using a silicon basting brush, apply the glaze to the cake, letting each coat dry a little before applying the next coat. Use all of the glaze.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature. The glaze should also be dry. Sift powdered sugar over the outside of the cake, slice, serve, and Enjoy!
- Crackle Glaze
- In a small bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, powdered sugar, lemon juice, and sesame oil. The granulated sugar will not fully dissolve. This is why the glaze will remain crackly and be wonderful when you bite into it.