Black Sesame Japanese Cotton Cake (no cream cheese version)
What can you do when you only have eggs, milk, sugar, and flour? Here is a good recommendation for you! Japanese Cotton Cake is famous for its airy and fluffy texture, and it uses a few simple ingredients. In this recipe, I used the “Scalded Flour Method”, which allows the cake to become more moist and fluffy. It was my first ever attempt to make this type of cake, and you can see how successful it was. So let’s get our hands dirty for this delicious cotton cake.
What is Japanese Cotton Cake?
Japanese cotton cake is famous for its airy and fluffy texture. The lightness of the cake can be just like angel cake and chiffon cake. But what makes cotton cake unique is that it tastes way better after you put it in the fridge overnight. It remains airy, but at the same time, it has an ice-cream-like texture. When you cut through the cake, it is just as soft as cotton.
When you search “Cotton Cake” on Google, you may often see Japanese Cotton Cheesecake instead. The difference between the two is one has a more creamy and denser texture to it. However, since I want to use the remaining limited ingredients at home, so I decided to make a no-cream cheese version. Don’t worry! I promise that the cake will still be delicious and healthy.
What is Scalded Flour Method?
To be honest, I did not know anything about this method until I learned how to make the cotton cake. In this method, we cook the flour in hot water or other liquids, and the dough then has the ability to absorb more liquid without being thinned. This is one of the common techniques used in Japan for super-soft bread and cakes.
Black Sesame Japanese Cotton Cake
Ingredients
Yolk Mixture
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- 50 g milk or soymilk
Scalded Flour
- 40 g vegetable oil
- 45 g cake flour
- 15 g black sesame powder
Meringue
- 3 egg whites
- 50 g sugar
Instructions
To prepare the yolk mixture:
- Mix the egg yolks, egg, and milk until combined.
To prepare scalded flour:
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the black sesame powder. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil at a low temperature in a clean pot. Pour the heated oil immediately into the flour mixture and quickly stir until everything is combined and lump-free.
- Wait until the scalded flour mixture is partly cooled, then mix in the yolk mixture until combined. Set aside.
To prepare meringue:
- Beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and whisk until soft peaks form.
To bake the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes.
- Fold the meringue into the yolk mixture in three separate additions. Gently mix each addition until no streaks remain.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Tap the pan lightly on a tabletop to remove any trapped air bubbles.
- Wrap the cake pan with aluminum foil, ensuring the sides of the pan are fully covered to prevent water from entering.
- Place the cake pan into a larger baking pan. Add about an inch of hot water to the larger pan, ensuring there is enough water to last through the baking process without fully evaporating.
- Bake the cake for 10 minutes at 170°C (325°F). Then reduce the heat to 150°C (300°F) and bake for another 45 minutes.
- Once done, turn off the oven and let the cake sit in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cake from the oven and the pan. Let it cool completely on a wire rack. Chill in the fridge for approximately 4 hours. Ready to serve.
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