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A black sesame and lime cake covered with sugar glaze, lime zest, and black sesame seeds on top
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5 / 2 votes

Black Sesame and Lime Cake

This light, refreshing loaf cake uses oranges as well as limes to make it more citrusy. The black sesame seeds add flavour and a little crunch.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 362

Ingredients

For the cake

  • 11 tablespoons (5 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for the pan
  • 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
  • 3/4 cup superfine sugar (or blitz granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground)
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 large eggs
  • Finely grated zest of 2 oranges, preferably organic
  • Finely grated zest of 2 limes, preferably organic
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

For the icing and decoration

  • Scant cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus more if needed
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lime, preferably organic
  • Black sesame seeds, for sprinkling
  • Fine strips of lime rind, for sprinkling, preferably organic
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter a 9- by 5-inch (23- by 13-cm) or 8 1/2- by 4 1/2-inch (22- by 12-cm) loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
  • In a small skillet over medium heat, dry roast the sesame seeds until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and crush them lightly with the pestle.
  • In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, zest, and juice, and mix with a hand mixer until the batter is light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Take care not to overbeat the batter as this can result in your cake sinking during baking. Add the crushed sesame seeds.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Leave the cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.

Make the icing

  • In a small bowl, mix the confectioners’ sugar with the lime juice and zest to produce a runny paste. If necessary, stir in more lime juice to achieve the desired consistency.
  • Spoon this mixture over the cake, then sprinkle some sesame seeds and lime rind strips on top to finish. This cake will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 111mg | Sodium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 34g