This decadent Black Sesame Crumb Cake is like no other. The black sesame seeds add a subtle kick to the overall flavor. The Crème Fraiche adds a delightful rich quality. There is no shortage of crumb topping and I wouldn’t have it any other way! It goes perfectly alongside a cup of tea, coffee or even a glass of wine.
Valentine’s day is right around the corner, so I decided to create this decadent black sesame crumb cake as a special treat to celebrate the holiday of love.
Robby and I were married about 2 years ago on March 18th, 2015. Something you may not know is that Robby and I both grew up in Santa Monica and met through mutual friends when we were teenagers. He was in a punk rock band with my first boyfriend. At the time there were around ten of us that would hang out together and go to punk rock and reggae shows.
After my first boyfriend and I broke up, I didn’t hang out with them anymore and ended up moving to Maui, then on to Oregon. A few years later, Robby had moved to Boston. Many years would pass until Robby and I would see each other again. In 2007 I moved back to Venice and a year later Robby moved back as well. We hadn’t seen each other since we were teenagers yet it seemed like no time had passed.
Of course, there were a lot of things that we originally didn’t know about each other and have discovered since we have been reconnected. One of the things we discovered was that we both went to the same elementary school and that we were both obsessed with Hostess crumb cakes, so I thought I would come up a healthier version that we could both enjoy for Valentine’s day. I replaced white cane sugar with coconut sugar due to Robby’s cane sugar allergy and I used wheat free flours because of my wheat allergy. It was a tough recipe to nail down but I finally did it!
Five attempts later, I had my recipe dialed in and it turned out phenomenal and quite addicting. My favorite way to serve this crumb cake is with cream but it is also insane with ice cream or whipped cream.
Black Sesame Crumb Cake Recipe:
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1 1/4 Cups Coconut Sugar - packed
- 3/4 Cup + 2 Tablespoons 1 3/4 sticks Butter
- 3/4 Cup Millet Flour
- 3/4 Cup White Rice Flour
- 1/2 Cup Oat Flour
- 1/4 Cup Ground Black Sesame Seeds
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Cake
- Dry Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup White Rice Flour
- 3/4 Cup Oat Flour
- 1/2 Cup Millet Flour
- 1/4 Cup Ground Black Sesame Seeds
- 1/4 Cup Tapioca Flour
- 3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 Chia Eggs - 2 tablespoons ground chia seeds whisked with 5 tablespoons water
- 3/4 Cup 1 1/2 sticks Butter - room temperature
- 1 1/3 Cups Coconut Sugar
- 4 oz. 1/2 Cup Creme Fraiche
- 1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
To start
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Grease your 9 1/2 inch springform pan with butter then line with parchment paper.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sesame Seeds/Chia Seeds
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Add the seeds to the bowl of a food processor or coffee grinder.
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Pulse the seeds in a food processor until finely ground. Set aside.
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Do the same with the chia seeds.
Crumb Topping
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in a small sauce-pan, melt the butter on medium-low.
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While butter is melting, in a medium bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, sesame seeds and salt.
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When the butter is melted, add it to the flour and toss with a fork until moist clumps form. Set aside.
Cake
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In a large bowl, add the flours, sesame powder, tapioca flour, baking soda and salt.
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Whisk together really well. Set aside.
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In a small bowl, add the 5 tablespoons of water and quickly whisk in the 2 tablespoons of ground chia seeds until it becomes gelatinous and then set aside.
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In a food processor, cream the butter and sugar together well and then add the apple cider vinegar and vanilla.
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Add the chia egg to the butter and pulse until just incorporated.
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Next, add the creme fraiche and mix in.
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Add the flour in two stages and roughly mix then dump into the large bowl that the flour was in and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands.
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Add half of the cake batter into the prepared springform pan and spread evenly.
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Sprinkle 1/3 of the crumb topping evenly on top of the batter then plop spoonfuls of batter around the top of the crumbs and very carefully spread the batter over the crumbs.
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You need a little bit of patience but don't worry it will come together.
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Put the cake onto a cookie sheet and place into the preheated oven on the middle rack in the middle of the oven.
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Bake for 60 minutes.
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Carefully remove from oven and place on a cooling rack.
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Let it cool completely.
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The cake will still be cooking as it cools.
