Black Sesame Chiffon Cake Recipe

Black Sesame Chiffon Cakes often look the part, but when you take a bite, the flavour can feel at times… underwhelming (as compared to a black sesame gelato or even butter cake).

That’s because Chiffon Cakes are naturally light and airy, which makes it harder for nutty flavours like black sesame to come through clearly.

This version is crafted a little differently, still soft and fluffy, with a fragrant, nutty flavour that’s noticeable without compromising that signature chiffon texture.

The key is a balance of black sesame paste for body and ground roasted black sesame for intensity, paired with a pinch of salt to gently enhance the overall aroma.

How and Why This Recipe Works

This recipe uses different black sesame elements to capture the nutty fragrancce flavour:

Black sesame paste, for richness and smooth integration into the batter
Ground roasted black sesame, for an even more pronounced nutty flavour
A small amount of salt to help enhance overall flavour without making it too savoury

By combining both paste and ground sesame in this recipe, the flavour becomes more noticeable without needing to make the chiffon cake heavier or overly rich. It’s a small adjustment, but one that makes a meaningful difference in how the cake tastes overall.

The flour is also slightly reduced to account for the added black sesame powder, keeping this Black Sesame Chiffon Cake nicely soft, moist and not too dense.

Where to get Black Sesame Ingredients

You can get black sesame paste from supermarkets and baking supply stores. It’s best to get them unsweetened, though sweetened is fine as well (cut down on main batter sugar up to 10g). Additionally, I also recommend getting the bread spread version so that in the scenario you can’t finish the entire batch, you can easily purpose the spread.

For black sesame powder, you can toast at home and ground it down using a mini blender, or if you are able to find it, store bought works just as well!

Feel free to contact me if you’re unable to find the above.

Why Black Sesame Lovers Will Like This

This is a chiffon that leans into what black sesame does best, fragrance and nuttiness.

It’s light, soft, with a flavour that carries through. If you like an even stronger and bolder black sesame finish, you can top this off with a coating of white chocolate and toasted black sesame seeds.

Without further ado, the recipe!

Black Sesame Chiffon Cake Recipe
by Javier Tan April-30-2026

Light, fluffy yet moist, this Black Sesame Chiffon Cake comes with an irresistible nutty flavour and aroma, while retaining Chiffon texture!

Ingredients (Black Sesame Chiffon Cake)

6 Eggs, separated into white and yolk (I am using eggs that weigh 60g)
(For main batter) 3 Tbsp or 40g of White Sugar
(For meringue) 3 Tbsp or 40g of White Sugar
1/3 Cup or 80ml Milk
2 Tbsp + 2 Tsp or 40ml of Vegetable Oil
Pinch of Salt
1/4 Cup + 1 Tsp or 70g of Unsweetened Black Sesame Paste (storebought or homemade both works fine)
3 Tbsp + 1 Tsp or 25g of Toasted Black Sesame Powder
3/4 Cup + 2 Tbsp or 100g of Plain / All-Purpose Flour (Sift if clumpy)
3/4 Tsp or 3g of Baking Powder

Ingredients (Optional, White Chocolate, Black Sesame Seeds Topping)

Approx 1/3 Cup of Melted and Cooled White Chocolate
2 – 3 Tbsp of Toasted Black Sesame Seeds

Instructions

Whisk 6 egg yolks with 40g sugar for a couple of minutes.
Then, whisk in the milk, oil, pinch of salt and black sesame paste until evenly distributed (single colour).
Next, whisk in the plain flour, black sesame powder and baking powder.
Once done, whip the egg whites till stiff peaks, adding in 20g sugar at two stages, foamy and soft peaks (total 40g).
Then, whisk in 1/3 of the egg whites to the cake batter and fold in th remaining 2/3 in two halves.
Pour in the black sesame chiffon batter, do not line or grease your chiffon tube pan (I am using 9 inch).
Bake 170C for 52 – 55 until nicely golden brown, do adjust accordingly to the size of the pan! Do not open the oven door before it’s done.
Leave upside down immediately to cool, approx an hour before unmoulding gently. If serving with white chocolate and black sesame seeds, make sure to do so after this step when the cake has cooled completely.
Serve and enjoy! It tends to taste better from the day after!

Details

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 30 mins
Yield: 1 x Nutty Black Sesame Chiffon Cake

Notes:

If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
Serve fresh at room temperature (on the day itself and up to 5 days) or in a fridge (up to a week). If refrigerated, do remove it 20 – 30 mins prior to serving. You can also consider microwaving it for a short blast for warmer gula melaka swirls.
Please do not copy and paste the recipe without my permission, but feel free to link back here!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan