Cake is soft, fluffy and moist. Everyone knows that. So what’s to be done when you meet a cake that’s crisp with a layer of sugar on top, rich and moist in the center, crunchy with an outer ring of sesame seeds, and chewy with a layer of dried fruit? You celebrate, that’s what. This Dappled Date Cake from Natasha Pickowicz is a symphony of textures and flavors. Besides satisfying your sweet tooth, it will leave you wondering what other cakes you should be enrobing in sesame seeds.

Sesame seeds nearly steal the show

This isn’t a sesame cake (it’s really about dates and coconut) but the small role that the sesame seeds play here is a pleasant surprise. Instead of lining the pan with butter and flour to prevent the cake from sticking, oil is applied with a spray bottle or pastry brush, and a small amount of black and white sesame seeds are tossed in there. After a quick roll-around, the seeds stick to the oil, ensuring your cake doesn’t stick to the pan.

This bespeckled layer doesn’t just prevent sticking, but adds nutty, toasted flavors and bonus crunchiness. What used to be the driest part of the average cake has now become the part everyone looks forward to.

An unusual upside-down cake

When I think of upside-down cakes, I think of pineapple, or occasionally apple—fresh or juicy canned fruits hidden beneath a layer of soft cake to be revealed at the finish. I’ll never besmirch the name of classic upside-down cakes, but the textural result is almost always soft-on-soft.

The Dappled Date Cake takes a different approach by including multiple textures: Sugar is sprinkled onto the bottom of the cake pan. Pitted dates are pressed in next, then covered with a batter that’s moistened with coconut milk. Once the cake is baked and flipped, you’ll find that the sugar creates a delicate, sparkling crust. Each of these elements provides a special feature that results in a cake with chewy, crunchy, crisp and soft moments.

With all of the notable textural elements, it’s easy to take the actual cake component for granted. Pause for a moment to appreciate it. The coconut milk and coconut oil bring a heady aroma and flavor. If you can find it, use a cold-pressed, virgin coconut oil for the best results. Refined coconut oil is purposely stripped of aroma and flavor compounds during manufacturing, so its flavor is neutral.

Then there is the tender texture. Naturally gluten-free cornmeal is mixed with all-purpose flour in the cake batter, acting more as a tenderizing device than a flavoring agent, minimizing gluten formation. Use fine cornmeal, not coarse, to be sure it blends in seamlessly.

The cake is moist, so take care not to pull it out of the oven too early or it’ll be borderline wet in the middle. After about 30 to 35 minutes, it should spring back when lightly pressed in the center. For extra assurance, use a cake tester to ensure the center is cooked through.

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Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Allie Chantorn Reinmann is a Digital Staff Writer for Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. She’s a Thai-American chef who earned her diploma for Pastry and Baking Arts at The Institute of Culinary Education and worked professionally for over a decade honing her craft in New York City at places like Balthazar, Bien Cuit, The Chocolate Room, Billy’s Bakery and Whole Foods. Allie took her know-how from the kitchen to the internet, writing about food full-time at Lifehacker for three years and starting her own YouTube channel, ThaiNYbites. You can find her whipping up baked goods for cafés around Brooklyn, building wedding cakes and trying her hand (feet?) at marathon running. She’s working on her debut cookbook and lives in Brooklyn, NY.