Black Sesame Totoro Chiffon Cake

Sunny Blevins
by Sunny Blevins
1 Cake
50 min
Soft fluffy chiffon cake decorated with fresh cream and melted chocolate to look like a (surprised) Totoro

Had a go at making black sesame Totoro chiffon cake after seeing some images of it on Pinterest. The best thing about it apart from the taste (love black sesame!) is that you don’t have to be super neat with the frosting, it will still turn out cute. Also doesn’t it look totally flabbergasted?

Chiffon cakes are very light and airy cakes made by whipping egg whites into stiff peaks and folding them into the batter. It also uses oil instead of butter so it’s very soft and tender even when cold. It can be baked in a traditional chiffon cake tin with the tube or in normal cake tins to make a layered cake. In fact, all of my layered cakes are made this way. It is my absolute favourite. As a bonus, it also is lower in fat and sugar than most other cakes (except angel food cakes).

Black Sesame Totoro Chiffon Cake
Recipe details
  • 1  Cake
  • Prep time: 20 Minutes Cook time: 30 Minutes Total time: 50 min
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Ingredients
Cake
  • 7 eggs separated at room temperature
  • 120 g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice or white vinegar or cream of tartar
  • 140 g self raising cake flour (sub 110 g self raising flour + 30 g corn flour)
  • A pinch of salt
  • 72 g milk
  • 50 g vegetable oil
  • 20 g sesame oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp ground black sesame powder
Decoration (optional)
  • 100 ml cold whipping cream
  • 2 - 3 tbsp icing sugar (or to taste)
  • Melted chocolate
Instructions

Pre heat oven to 180 degree C. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with half the sugar until well combined.
Add milk, salt, vegetable oil, sesame oil, vanilla extract and sesame powder. Whisk until well incorporated.
Sift in flour and whisk until the mixture is just well combined with no more flour lumps. Be careful not to over mix. Set aside.
With a stand or electric mixer beat egg whites until foamy. Add in lemon juice (or white vinegar or cream of tartar) and the rest of the sugar. keep beating until stiff peaks form. You should be able to turn the bowl over and it won’t fall out.
Fold in the beaten egg whites into the batter from step 3, gently 1/3 at a time using a scoop and over method. Be careful not to deflate the air bubbles in the beaten egg whites. Fold until no more egg whites streak are found. Be patient, it does take a while. Don’t start beating it too hard or the cake will be tough.
Scoop the batter into a 25 cm diameter chiffon cake tin. Do not grease tin. Bang the tin a few times on the counter to get rid of air bubbles.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until inserted skewer comes out clean.
Cool the chiffon cake in the tin upside down. Use a wine bottle placed in the tube if your cake tin does not have the triangular legs. This is important if you do not cool it inverted, the cake will collapse.
When the cake is completely cool, run an offset spatula or butter knife around the sides of the cake and around the tube as well as the base to loosen the cake and flip it onto a plate.
Whip the whipping cream with the icing sugar until stiff peaks form and iced the bottom half of the cake. Pipe 2 little circles on the top half for eyes. Pipe melted chocolate to complete the eyes and the rest of the Totoro’s features.
Tips
  • DO NOT grease cake tin. The cake needs the friction to rise.
  • Make sure your equipments are free of grease when beating your egg whites and that your eggs are at room temperature
  • Do not over mix your batter. Be gentle when folding the egg whites.
  • Cool your chiffon cake COMPLETELY like it should be totally cool to touch before trying to take it out or else it will be too delicate and may collapse. If you frost while it’s still warm, the cream will also melt.
  • Do not open door while the chiffon cake is baking too soon. I usually wait until I can smell it before I check for doneness. Around the 30 minute mark.
  • Cool the chiffon cake in the tin upside down. Use a wine bottle placed in the tube if your cake tin does not have the triangular legs. This is important if you do not cool it inverted, the cake will collapse.
Sunny Blevins
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Comments
  • Intrigued! Pinned recipe. Will try next weekend. Will have to hunt down the sesame powder in international grocery stores in my area or just make it myself, just purchased 2 pounds of black sesame. I toss them in my salads and as a topping for many types of soup. Thanks for sharing!

  • Rch22255662 Rch22255662 on Jan 23, 2022

    can this successfully be made with gluten free flour?

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