These sesame cakes are the easiest breakfast cakes you’ll ever make. They come together with just two ingredients and bake into a crunchy or chewy texture that makes it hard to stop at just one. The sesame cakes are vegan (dairy-free, egg-free), grain-free (gluten-free), soy-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free.

If you like to experiment in the kitchen and regularly look for new recipes, you’ve likely come across 2-ingredient banana cookies. All you need are bananas and oatmeal to make this recipe. While I really enjoy those breakfast cookies, I always look for ways to reduce the number of grains I eat.

Yes, there are plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and other nutrients contained in whole grains, but you can easily get all those things from other sources including vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and other foods that don’t have the downside grains come with. There are essential amino acids from protein and essential fatty acids from fats, but no such thing as essential carbohydrates. 

When I do eat grains, I focus on ‘ancient grains’, which have never been processed through hybridization or genetic modification; they’re grown just as they were a thousand years ago. Those include pseudo-grains, such as amaranth, buckwheat, kaniwa, quinoa, and teff, and exotic-sounding gluten-free grains, such as black rice and millet.

Generally speaking, pseudo-grains offer more protein, fiber, and vitamins than modern grains. New hybrids are also much starchier than their predecessors (aka, have a greater impact on blood sugar), and contain more gluten. 

All that to say, if I can make breakfast cookies without grains, sign me up!

Tips for Making Sesame Cakes

Ingredients

These breakfast cakes require only two basic ingredients:

• Bananas: since you’ll be mashing the bananas, make sure they are quite ripe. I prefer just-ripe bananas because they have a milder flavor, but over-ripe bananas will be sweeter. 
• Sesame seeds: there are two types of sesame seeds – unhulled (tan, red, brown, black) and hulled (white). You can use either or. Most people prefer hulled sesame seeds for their nutty, almost buttery flavor. Unhulled sesame seeds are slightly bitter, earthier, and crunchier. That said, the overall flavor between unhulled and hulled sesame seeds is similar enough that you don’t need to run out and buy a new batch if you only happen to have unhulled sesame seeds. 

How to Make Sesame Cakes

Making these sesame cakes couldn’t be easier. No stand mixer (or even hand mixer) required! Here’s what you need to do:

1. Mash the bananas. Add the bananas to a medium bowl and mash them with a fork until there are no lumps left. You can also use a potato masher if you have one. 
2. Stir in the sesame seeds. Add the sesame seeds to the mashed bananas and mix until well combined. The mixture won’t be as thick as regular oatmeal cookie dough, but it will be thick enough to hold the shape of a cookie/cake once it’s on the baking sheet. 
3. Shape the mixture. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Set a ring cookie cutter on the parchment paper, fill it with the banana-sesame mixture, and flatten it out with the back of a spoon. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. I used a round 4-inch/10-cm cookie cutter and got five breakfast cakes.
4. Bake. Transfer the sesame cakes to the oven and bake them at 350°F/175°C until golden brown, for about 30 minutes. The sesame cakes will be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. 

Sesame Cakes Variation

I kept these sesame cakes rather plain. However, you can add various mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, orange or lemon zest, etc. Flavorings, such as vanilla extract and spices – allspice, cinnamon, clove, or ginger – would be a great addition as well.

Last but not least, you can also substitute some of the sesame seeds for hemp hearts for extra protein.

How to Store Sesame Banana Cakes

• Storing at room temperature: transfer the sesame cakes to an airtight container and keep them in a cool dark place for up to 5 days.
• Refrigerating: transfer the sesame cakes to an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 2 weeks.
• Freezing: transfer the sesame cakes to an airtight container, separating each layer with parchment paper so they don’t stick together, and freeze them for up to 1 month. 

If you try this recipe, please, leave a comment and rate the recipe below. It always means a lot when you do.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Sesame Cakes

These sesame cakes are the easiest breakfast cakes you'll ever make. They come together with just two ingredients and bake into a crunchy or chewy texture that makes it hard to stop at just one.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: breakfast cakes, sesame cakes

Servings: 5 (4-inch/10-cm) cakes

Ingredients

• 2 bananas
• 2 cups sesame seeds *

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F/175°C.
• Mash the bananas. Add the bananas to a medium bowl and mash them with a fork until there are no lumps left. You can also use a potato masher if you have one. 
• Stir in the sesame seeds. Add the sesame seeds to the mashed bananas and mix until well combined. The mixture won't be as thick as regular oatmeal cookie dough, but it will be thick enough to hold the shape of a cookie/cake once it's on the baking sheet. 
• Shape the mixture. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Set a ring cookie cutter on the parchment paper, fill it with the banana-sesame mixture, and flatten it out with the back of a spoon. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. I used a round 4-inch/10-cm cookie cutter and got five cakes.
• Bake. Transfer the sesame cakes to the oven and bake them until golden brown, for about 30 minutes. The sesame cakes will be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. 
• Store. Leftover sesame cakes keep well in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. For longer-term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month. 

Equipment

baking sheet

measuring cups

Recipe Notes

*I used white hulled sesame seeds.

**Nutrition information is approximate and may contain errors. Please, feel free to make your own calculations.

Nutrition Facts

Sesame Cakes

Amount Per Serving (1 of 5)

Calories 356 Calories from Fat 261

% Daily Value*

Fat 29g45%

Carbohydrates 22g7%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 11g22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.