KyotofuUniquely Delicious Japanese Desserts

Nicole Bermensolo founded Kyotofu Bakery in 2006, one of the most popular bakeries in New York City. As business grew, Nicole closed the bakery in order to focus exclusively on wholesale operation. She currently runs Kyotofu and Hana Kitchens, selling her products nationwide. Nicole lives in New York City

Black Sesame Shortbread

Hoji Roll Cake

Black Sesame Shortbread

This recipe yields a big batch of shortbread—three dozen cookies, or up to four dozen if you decide to gather and reroll the dough scraps after stamping out your first round of cookies—but since it contains just a single egg, I don’t like to scale down its size any further. Regardless, these never go to waste in my house. They make excellent gifts (especially around the holidays), and keep for weeks and weeks in an airtight container.

21/3 cups / 280 g all-purpose flour

1/2 cup / 71 g toasted black sesame seeds, ground to a fine flour in a spice grinder

3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) / 113 g unsalted butter, softened

1 cup / 198 g granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon whole milk

1 – In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, sesame flour, baking pow­der, and salt.

2 – In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the egg and milk, scraping down the sides of bowl after blending.

3 – Gradually add the dry ingredients into the creamed butter, mixing just until the dough comes together. Remove the dough from the mixer; use a spat­ula or bowl scraper to mix in by hand any dry ingredients left at bottom of the bowl. Pat the dough into two disks, wrap them in plastic wrap, and let them chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

4 – Preheat the oven to 350° F / 177°C and position one of the oven racks a third of the way from the top of the oven. Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. On a floured work surface, roll one of the disks out 1/4-inch / .5 cm thick and stamp out cookies using a 2-inch / 5 cm round cutter. Gather up the dough scraps, reroll them, and stamp out more cookies, if desired. Place the cookies on the two baking sheets and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Repeat the process with the second disk of dough.

5 – Bake the cookies on the top oven rack for 12 minutes, or until light golden-brown, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Let cool on a wire rack and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

FOR A WHITE SESAME VARIATION: Substitute the black sesame seeds for an equal amount of toasted white sesame seeds.

FOR A MATCHA VARIATION: Sub­stitute the black sesame flour for 3 tablespoons matcha powder.

FOR A HOJICHA VARIATION: Substitute the black sesame flour for 1/4 cup / 24 g hojicha tea leaves, ground to a fine powder in a spice grinder.

FOR A YUZU VARIATION: Omit the black sesame flour and substitute 1 tablespoon yuzu juice for the whole milk.

FOR A GENMAI VARIATION: Substi­tute the black sesame flour for 1/4 cup / 32 g genmai powder, ground in a spice grinder from about 1/3 cup / 70 g iri genmai grains, plus 2 teaspoons whole iri genmai.

Hoji Roll Cake

 The roll cake—also known as a Swiss roll or a jellyroll—has its origins in Europe, but it has grown to become a particularly popular dessert format in Japan. This version is simply flavored with hojicha. When preparing the batter, be sure to whip the eggs and sugar until they are glossy and light as air, otherwise the finished cake is unlikely to achieve its trademark spongy, delicate consistency.

4 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup / 99 g sugar

1/2 cup / 60 g plus 2 table­spoons all-purpose flour

1/4 ounces / 7 g hojicha tea leaves, ground to 4 teaspoons fine powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup / 235 ml heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks

1 – Preheat the oven to 325° F / 163°C. Prepare a 13 x 8-inch / 33 x 20 cm baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and spraying it with non­stick cooking spray.

2 – In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend together the eggs and the sugar on high speed until thick, glossy ribbons form, 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, hojicha powder, baking powder, and salt. Sift the mixture a second time.

3 – Turn the mixer speed down to low and add the dry ingredients. Continue to mix for 30 to 45 seconds, and then turn off the mixer and finish the process by hand.

4 – Spread the batter onto the prepared baking sheet in a smooth, even layer and bake for 14 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking. Remove the cake from the oven.

6 – Prepare a kitchen towel about 18 x 13 inches / 46 x 33 cm in size by opening it flat on the countertop and dusting it with confectioners’ sugar. Loosen the edges of the cake with a knife and invert it onto the towel. Gently peel off the parchment paper. Trim 1/4 inch / .5 cm of the crust off each long side of the cake. Beginning with the narrow edge, roll the cake and towel up together and let cool on a rack, seam-side down, for 10 to 15 minutes.

7 – Once the cake has cooled, gently unroll it and spread the surface with whipped cream. Reroll the cake and serve immediately.

FOR A HOJICHA VARIATION: Substitute the black sesame flour for 1/4 cup / 24 g hojicha tea leaves, ground to a fine powder in a spice grinder.

FOR A YUZU VARIATION: Omit the black sesame flour and substitute 1 tablespoon yuzu juice for the whole milk.

FOR A GENMAI VARIATION: Substi­tute the black sesame flour for 1/4 cup / 32 g genmai powder, ground in a spice grinder from about 1/3 cup / 70 g iri genmai grains, plus 2 teaspoons whole iri genmai.

 

Reprinted with permission from KYOTOFU © 2015 by Nicole Bermensolo, Running Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group.