I live in Central Tilba and I’m a food writer and stylist, yoga teacher, Ayurvedic practitioner, counsellor and tour guide. These Japan-inspired recipes come from firsthand knowledge of this cuisine – I lived there for several months and now take food tours to Japan. My next one is in October. For details go to jodyvassallo.com.

This is my favourite cake ever, ever, ever and the most popular and most requested recipe.

I can spend hours in train stations in Japan gathering bento boxes to sample on my shinkansen journey. This is how I came upon my first ever black sesame cake. I mousey nibbled the small square of heavenly cake noting as much as I could about it. When I returned to Australia, I was determined to replicate it. Happily, I succeeded.

200 g butter, chopped
1 cup black tahini (available
in health food stores)
⅓ cup black sesame seeds, ground in a blender
3 eggs, lightly beaten
185 g (1 cup) coconut sugar
100 g (1 cup) almond meal
¼ cup gluten-free plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
200 g dark chocolate, chopped
100 ml single cream

Preheat oven to 180º C. Grease and line a 20 cm square cake tin.
Put the butter, black tahini and sesame paste in a pan and cook over a low heat until the butter melts. Remove from the heat, stir in the eggs and sugar. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and gently fold to combine.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to stand in tin for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt the chocolate and cream in a pan over a low heat, remove and allow to cool for 15 minutes or until it thickens, spread the chocolate icing over the cake and allow to set. Cut into small bars and serve.

Jody Vassallo