Attention, lovers of squishy and chewy foods! This moody-glam dessert was inspired by Hawaiian butter mochi—a super simple one-bowl cake made with eggs, coconut milk, evaporated milk, butter, and, last but not least, glutinous sweet rice flour, which creates its characteristic bounce. We traded out the coconut for intense black sesame flavor and color used three ways: in the sugary pan lining, in the cake batter itself, and in the glazy caramel sauce that goes on top. Koda Farms Mochiko is our preferred brand of glutinous rice flour, but Bob’s Red Mill sweet white rice flour will also work.
Ingredients
Makes one 8" or 9" cake
¼
¾
1¼
2
1
1
2
1
1
½
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°. Generously grease an 8" or 9" round pan with butter. Line bottom with parchment and grease parchment with butter.
Step 2
Toast black sesame seeds in a dry large skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and just starting to crackle, 2–3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender. Pulse, scraping down sides as needed, until seeds are finely chopped but haven't formed a paste. This could take as long as 2–3 minutes in a food processor, or 1–2 minutes in a high-speed blender.
Step 3
Scoop out ¼ cup ground sesame seeds; set aside. Add ¾ cup sugar to food processor and pulse until sugar is a uniform gray and no lumps of sesame remain. Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle some sesame sugar all over sides and bottom of prepared pan (as if you were flouring it). Tap pan so sesame sugar coats sides and bottom in a thin layer; this will form a crust, which will help the cake release. Tap out any excess back into bowl. Add flour, baking powder, and ½ tsp. salt to bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 4
Whisk eggs and ¼ cup melted butter in a medium bowl until creamy and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Whisk in milk, vanilla, and ½ cup cream. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Step 5
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean and cake is risen and springy with a firm golden brown crust, 45–55 minutes (the smaller your pan, the longer it will take).
Step 6
Run a knife or offset spatula around edge of pan. Let cake cool in pan 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack. Invert again onto another wire rack and let cool completely.
Step 7
Vigorously whisk reserved ¼ cup ground sesame seeds with remaining 5 Tbsp. cream and ½ tsp. salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
Step 8
Bring cream of tartar, remaining ½ cup sugar, and 3 Tbsp. water to a boil in large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is the color of light honey, 3–4 minutes.
Step 9
Immediately remove caramel from heat. Vigorously whisk in cream mixture until combined. Immediately pour onto center of cooled cake and spread to the edges. Garnish circumference of cake with white sesame seeds.
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Reviews (39)
Back to TopLoved this recipe! I've tried several black sesame mochi cake recipes to find one I really like, and this is it. I let the cream for the caramel sauce come to room temperature before adding the caramel, and it still seized up on me. Next time I'll add the cream to the hot pan, rather than the caramel to a room temp bowl of cream. Putting it back in the pan on low heat and whisking continuously got it back to the right consistency, though. Will definitely keep making this recipe!
Dave
Maine
4/12/2024
My cake did not have mochi texture. It was a dry gritty cake. I love the black sesame and the caramel is to die for but not mochi. I was so disappointed. I baked it to take to my daughter in law in japan. How can I make it mochi texture? I even sent for the exact rice flour
Christine
Chicago
2/16/2024
Disappointed! Looked nothing like recipe pic. No mochi texture, domed not flat, and caramel seized like others noted. Will not be making this again. Very underwhelmed.
Anonymous
10/24/2022
I add about double the amount of black sesame seeds, and it just makes it so much more fragrant! Absolutely love this cake. Its dense but chewy and spongey. Must try. The caramel glaze is also just superb.
Susu
Melbourne, Australia
6/21/2022
To counter the previous comment labelling this as Americanized black sesame tang yuan, I’m Asian and I thought this was incredibly delicious. For those who experience their caramel seizing when poured into the cream mixture, it can most definitely be saved by microwaving the entire mixture for 20-second bursts and whisking until completely emulsified. I made these in a muffin tin to get more crispy edges. A local Japanese bakery charges $4 a pop for something similar (but not as good imo), so I’ll definitely be making these myself from now on.
cheching
Toronto, ON
11/26/2021
The cake was wonderful! The soft, bouncy texture was well complemented by the black sesame. I cut back on the sugar slightly and it was still amazing. I also used a 9 inch pan and it took my oven 1 hour to fully cook the cake. Highly recommend for sesame lovers. I will be making this again :) Maybe next time with a matcha base
Anonymous
Lac La Biche, Alberta
5/24/2021
Just made this; it was DELICIOUS. I’ve had a ton of black sesame laying around since the New Year and haven’t been sure how to use it; this was a great way to let it shine. The caramel really is the unsung hero here (though that could also be because I’m a caramel fiend); the extra salt keeps it from being too sweet. My cake was flat instead of concave after cooling, and my caramel was a little too hot when I poured it over (I took the instruction of “immediately” very literally; really you should wait a minute or two before you pour it over so that it thickens up just enough to stick to the cake), so it ran down the sides and I had to frantically scoop most of it off my counter back onto the cake before it cooled, but that didn’t affect the taste, and the drips of caramel down the sides actually looked quite nice. To the commenter below who was having issues with their sugar hardening immediately when they added the cream: you probably need to let your cream sit and come to room temperature before using it. Cold cream or butter added right to hot sugar can chill the sugar to the point it hardens up immediately when you’re making caramel. Otherwise, you might have cooked your sugar a hair too long, or you might need to be whisking faster as you add the cream and sesame mixture.
Anonymous
Grand Rapids, MI
3/12/2021
This is an extremely delicious riff on Hawaiian butter mochi cake. I made this with normal sesame seeds because that’s what I had, and canned coconut milk. We did not find it overly sweet and caramel really enhances the whole experience. Don’t skip it. We can’t stop eating it.
Anonymous
NYC
10/10/2020
I grew up eating black sesame tang yuan, and I'm really underwhelmed. This tastes like an over-sweetened, over-glutinous, and overcooked version of tang yuan :/ Another instance of BA Americanizing non-Western foods to suit certain sensibilities
Anonymous
9/21/2020
Loved making this super easy cake because the black sesame made for such an interesting dough! The end result is a Delicious, chewy, gooey, cake that might not look great but definitely tastes great.
Anonymous
Malden, MA
6/7/2020
If you're thinking about trying this recipe... do it! I made this without the caramel sauce and decreased the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup just because my family prefers things less sweet, and it was still amazing! The depth the black sesame provides is something else... This cake is even better the next day, and you can store this in the fridge or at room temp.
Anonymous
5/27/2020
The cake it self isn’t too difficult but the caramel can be a little tricky. The result is super delicious!
Jymoon89
Philadelphia, PA
4/19/2020
What a gorgeous cake and deee-licious. My crust didn’t brown. Cooked in a 9” pan for 45 minutes and tester came out clean. Will cook a little longer next time.
Murgie
Montreal
4/19/2020
My jaw actually dropped at how good this cake looks, excited to bake tomorrow!
jenniferkatie
4/13/2020
Great recipe. Love the black sesame flavor, different textures of the crust, mochi cake, and caramel. Got rave reviews at a party.
Anonymous
San Mateo, CA
3/9/2020