Black sesame chocolate cake

Ingredients

• 200 g (1⅓ cups) black sesame seeds
• 200 g butter, chopped
• 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten
• 185 g (1 cup) coconut sugar
• 100 g (1 cup) almond meal
• 35 g (¼ cup) gluten-free plain flour
• 1 tsp gluten-free baking powder

Chocolate ganache

• 200 g dark chocolate, chopped
• 100 ml pure cream

Resting time 25 minutes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 180˚C. Grease and line a 20 cm square cake tin.

Put the sesame seeds into a mortar and pestle or spice mill and grind to a smooth paste.

Put the butter and sesame paste into a saucepan and cook over low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat and stir in the eggs and sugar.

Combine the almond meal, flour and baking powder in a bowl, then sift over the egg mixture and gently fold to combine. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to stand in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the chocolate ganache, combine the chocolate and cream in a saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes, until thickened.

Spread the ganache over the cake and allow to set. Cut into small pieces to serve.

Recipe from Beautiful Food by Jody Vassallo, with photographs by Jared Fowler (Harlequin, $39.99).