Easy and soft black sesame flavor eggless sponge cake can be easily cooked in a rice cooker or baked in the oven. The cake can be made into a layer cake with vegan-frosting
This recipe fits 8-inch round cake pan or 2 of 6-inch round cake pans. If you use a rice cooker, it fits 7 or 8-inch inner pot of rice cooker
This cake can also be made into a 2-layer cake and dressed with frosting. Simply double the recipe to make 2 8-inch cakes. I do not recommend doubling the recipe and bake in one pan. I highly recommend making the cake the day before. The crumbs are more stable and won't be crumbly after chilled overnight. If you bake with rice cooker, you will have to do it one cake at a time
You can also of course just bake one cake and slice in half horizontally to make two layers, it just yields shorter cake
Prepare the cake batter:
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F(165 C) for convection oven. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round pan with parchment paper.
If you use your rice cooker, grease the bottom part of the inner pot of your rice cooker with some butter. Alternatively, you can also cut out a parchment paper and line the bottom with it.
Combine milk with vinegar and let it sit for 5 minutes. The milk will curdle.
Combine the dry ingredients, whisk and set aside. Combine the oil, black sesame paste, sugar, and the milk mixture. Combine the dry ingredients, whisk and set aside. Combine the rest of the wet ingredients and add the vinegar-milk mixture. Whisk to combine.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and gently fold to combine. The batter is medium thick. Don't overmix. As long as you don't see any pockets of flour, you are done mixing.
To bake in the oven:
Line the bottom of the pan with a parchment paper. Transfer the cake batter to the cake pan. Tap the pan firmly but gently on the countertop for a few times to pop up any large bubbles
Place on the middle rack, 3rd from the top in my oven, and bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes for 8-inch cake, 30-35 minutes for 6-inch cake or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean with some cooked crumbs is fine. DO NOT open the oven door during the first 30 minutes as the cake may sink. The top of the cake should be dry to touch and spring back when you touch. Bake a bit longer if they are not cooked yet and test with a cake tester
Let the cake cool down in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing from the pan. Eggless cake tends to be more crumbly especially when it is still warm.
To bake in the rice cooker:
Transfer the cake batter into the inner pot of the rice cooker. Tap the inner pot firmly but gently on the countertop for a few times to pop up any large bubbles
Every rice cooker may be different. I don't have a cake function on my rice cooker. So I used the brown rice function, which cooks roughly about 90 minutes or so. If you have a very basic rice cooker without any functions, you will need a few cycles once the cook button switches off. You may need to wait before you can switch it back on again to continue cooking
How can you tell the cake is cooked ? The top should be dry to touch and it shouldn't be jiggly. It should spring back when you touch. Use a skewer and insert into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. When the cake is done, remove from the rice cooker and let it cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Eggless cake tends to be crumbly especially when it is still warm.
To serve: (best the next day)
Don't try to cut into the cake if it's still warm. It needs to cool down completely. The cake is best served the next day for the best texture and flavor. The crumbs are more stable and less crumbly. Keep it wrapped in a cling wrap or store it in an air-tight container. The cake can be served as is or if you like, you can serve it with some whipped cream and some fresh berries would be nice too. You can also make it into a 2-layer cake with some frosting
If you want to make this into a 2-layer cake:
After the cakes have cooled down completely, wrap them in a cling wrap and keep them in a zipper bag or an air-tight container and store them in the fridge.
To make the vegan frosting: (optional)
Combine all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. The consistency should be thick, smooth, and spreadable. If it's too thick, you can add a bit more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Cover and they can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week. Let it come to a room temperature and stir again before using
Apply the frosting on the surface of the first layer of the cake. Then top with the second layer. Cover with top and the side with some frosting. This is just to crumbcoat the cake. Chill it in the fridge for about 1 hour to let the frosting somewhat set. Apply the rest of the frosting to cover the cake. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving to firm up the frosting
How to store frosted cake:
The cake can be kept in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3 days. It has nothing that contain perishable ingredients, so it's stable at room temperature.
Notes
This recipe was last updated on November 4, 2023 with an improved version. The recipe doesn't use yogurt (which makes the cake denser and heavier). This version has a light and fluffy texture. I'm still experimenting with different options as well and will update accordingly if I find anything works even better than this version.1. You can also use shortening or shortening with butter flavor, or half shortening and half vegan butter. I have had success using shortening. Shortening and shortening with butter flavor are vegan (At least the Crisco brand that I use)