• DO NOT grease your 8-inch chiffon pan, not anywhere on the pan. The cake needs to cling to the pan to rise.
• Preheat your oven to 330 F (165 C) for a conventional oven. If you have a convection oven, I suggest lowering the temperature by 20 F (15 C)

Prepare black sesame paste:

• Toast the black sesame seeds and white sesame seeds on the pan over medium-low heat until you smell a nice nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. The white sesame seeds are there to help you see if the seeds are toasted enough. They should be lightly browned. Once toasted, let them cool down slightly
• Transfer to a high-speed food processor (it makes your life easier if you have one) and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Pulse for a few seconds and keep repeating until the seeds gradually change from a very thick paste to just thick. We don't want it too runny or too thick. You will have leftover. Store it in a clean container and keep in the fridge for about 3 months
• If you use store-bought black sesame paste, make sure it's not sweetened because we cannot cut down on the sugar for meringue. Please keep that in mind

Prepare cake batter:

• I suggest separating the yolks and whites a bit earlier (about 30 mins or so)so that the egg whites have time to come to room temperature. It whips better at room temperature
• In a mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, with oil, milk and then add the black sesame paste and keep whisking until the paste is combined with the others. Sift in flour and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside

Whipping the meringue:

• Place the egg whites in a clean bowl. You will have trouble whipping your meringue if there's a trace of grease in your utensils or bowls. Beat the egg whites on medium speed (speed 6 on KA) until it's foamy, add in the cream of tartar or lemon juice and gradually add in the sugar as you beat, 1/3 at a time and wait for about 1 minute before adding the next. Keep the speed on medium (speed 6) and beat until the meringue has a stiff peak with a slight bent on the tip. Then lower the speed to speed 4 and beat for one minute to even out large bubbles
• Gently fold in 1/3 of the meringue into the thick batter using a whisk and then swipe down and fold over to mix and then continue on with the second batch and fold again to mix. Continue to do this until you are on the last 1/3 of meringue. Switch to a rubber spatula and swipe down and fold over to make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl so the batter really combines with the meringue. You will have a smooth batter that has tripled in volume and is airy. You shouldn't see any more white meringue at this point
• Pour the batter from a height into the pan. This helps to pop large bubbles. Give the pan a few shakes to even out the batter. I like to use a skewer to run zig zag through the batter to pop any bubbles inside. Bang the pan on the counter 3-4 times to pop any large bubbles

Baking:

• Pop into the oven and let it bake for 60 minutes at the middle rack. If you insert a skewer or cake tester into the cake, it should come out clean with very few crumbs, but there shouldn't be anything wet. If it is, bake it a bit longer, in a 5-minute increment and check again
• Once out of the oven, bang the pan on the counter 3-4 times. This helps to prevent the cake from shrinking. Carefully invert the pan upside down. Please don't be tempted to remove it from the pan if it's still warm. It takes about one to two hours to cool down completely
• Once it's cool down completely, use an offset spatula to run through the edge of the cake and a skewer to loosen the cake near the tube. Gently push the base of the pan up. Use an offset spatula again to carefully run through the base of the pan. Gently release the cake and put on a serving plate

Decorating the cake (optional):

• Place the whipping cream and icing sugar in a cold mixing bowl. Make sure the heavy cream is chilled too. Whip on medium speed until the cream has a firm peak, but not too firm. The consistency should be glossy and can hold its shape when lifted up. Take care not to overbeat or it will turn grainy.
• I cut out two small triangles for Totoro ears from the bottom of the cake. Place the cake on a cake stand or wherever you want to. Use a sharp knife to make a small slit where the ears suppose to go. Dab a little bit of whipped cream on the base of the ears and then gently push the ears into the slit
• Use a medium size offset spatula to spread the whipped cream over the lower half of the chiffon cake, both on top and the sides. The crumbs of the cake will show. This is the crumb layer. If you don't want any crumb to show, pop the cake in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Clean your offset spatula to make sure there's no crumb. Spread more whipped cream on that crumb layer and it will cover the crumbs now. You don't have to do this though. You can use a piping bag to draw the eyes and then use the melted chocolate or black icing writer to draw the black eyeballs and the details on the body. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds over the white part if you like. Simple as that :)

How to store:

• If the cake is undecorated with whipped cream, you can wrap it up and keep it at room temperature for 2-3 days
• If you decorate it with whipped cream, then it needs to be kept in the fridge. Cover it with a cling wrap to prevent the cake from drying out. Try to consume within 2-3 days