Black Sesame Pound Cake (Dense Roasted Sesame Grey-Crumb Cake)

Bring the butter, eggs, and milk to room temperature so the batter mixes evenly.

Preheat the oven to 170°C, then line a loaf pan with parchment, leaving enough overhang to lift the cake out later.

Beat 120g softened unsalted butter with 110g sugar on medium speed for at least 5 minutes.

Stop and scrape the bowl once or twice, continuing until the mixture looks paler, lighter, and creamy rather than grainy.

Lightly beat the 2 eggs, then add them in two or three portions.

Mix fully after each addition before adding more; if the batter starts to look curdled, lower the speed and mix slowly until it smooths out.

Add 45g black sesame paste and 30ml milk, then mix just until the color is even.

The batter should turn deep grey-brown and smell roasted; scrape the bottom so no plain butter mixture remains.

Sift in 130g cake flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 1g salt.

Fold with a rubber spatula only until dry flour disappears; overmixing will make the dense crumb tougher instead of softly tight.

Transfer the batter to the pan, level the top, and score the center shallowly with a knife.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean, then cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing it to cool fully and slice.