Sesame Citrus Cake
Nutty sesame merges with lemon and yuja to make a cake that is moist and packed with flavor.
Sesame Citrus Cake
Makes 1 - 20cm (8 in) cake
For a few months, I’ve wanted to make a lemon poppy seed cake. Unfortunately, I’ve been having a hard time procuring poppy seeds. Then I had the idea to use black sesame seeds in the place of the poppy seeds. Almost simultaneously I thought, why not use lemon poppy as a base idea and make the sesame flavor the star and really allow it to shine. Sesame is one of the quintessential flavors of Korean cuisine and is often featured in traditional desserts but not so much in the modern ones as far as I have seen. That is where the sesame oil in addition to crushing the sesame seeds comes in. You get a burst of heady nutty sesame flavor that pairs beautifully with the citrus. The addition of the lemon segments in the batter add a bright pop throughout the cake. The yuja in the soak stays almost “fresh” in flavor and adds an amazing finishing aroma
“Recipe Tips:
1. A lemon supreme is the flesh of the lemon cut out from between the membrane. These along with the juice from the lemon are reserved for later use in the cake.
2. I served my cake with a quick “sauce” made of yogurt, a little yuja cheong and jam.”
Ingredients
180g (0.75 c) granulated sugar
2 lemons, zested – supreme cut out and juice reserved
Dry Ingredients
163g (1.25 c) all purpose flour
50g (0.25 c) semolina flour or all purpose flour
20g (5 t) toasted black sesame seeds, lightly crushed
4g (1 t) kosher salt
3g (0.75 t) baking soda
3g (0.75 t) baking powder
1g (0.25 t) ground ginger
Liquid Ingredients
176g (0.50 c + 2 T) plain Greek yogurt
8g (1.5 t) ginger, grated
2 large eggs, room temperature
75ml (0.25 c + 2 T) vegetable oil
30ml (2 T) toasted sesame oil
4g (1 t) vanilla extract
1 T lemon juice
Soak
3 T yuja cheong
2 T lemon juice
2 T water
Recipe Know-how
1. Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F.
2. Line the bottom of a 20cm (8 in) round cake pan with parchment.
Butter and flour the sides. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the sugar and lemon zest.
Using your hands rub the lemon zest into the sugar until well combined.
Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix well to combine. Set aside.
4. In a medium mixing bowl whisk the yogurt, ginger and eggs together until well combined.
Add the oils and vanilla extract mixing well.
Add the lemon juice and mix until well combined.
Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients.
Using a rubber spatula, fold the wet into the dry, mixing until 75% incorporated.
Add the lemon segments and fold into the batter until just combined.
Pour into the prepared pan and tap on the work surface 3 – 4 times to settle.
5. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Prepare the soak while the cake bakes.
6. In a small microwave-safe bowl, stir together the soak ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
7. When ready, remove the cake from the oven.
Microwave the soak for 30 – 40 seconds on high heat until liquified.
Pour the liquid from the soak over the cake being sure to spread it to the edges.
Reserve the rind from the soak for topping the cake.
Cool for 30 minutes in the pan.
8. Remove cake from the pan and top with the reserved rind.
9. Serve.
