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Benne Cakes are popular snack cookies which originated from Africa, where the benne seed comes from.
It is enjoyed by the whole world because of its wonderful taste. Benne seeds are said to be eaten for good luck and it is popular in America during the Kwanzaa Celebration. Bring some luck to your celebration by trying these delicious and simple cakes.
What is Benne Cake?
Benne Cake originated in West Africa and Benne means sesame seeds, and they are eaten for good luck.
Serve these crunchy little cakes ( also called wafers or cookies) at your Kwanzaa parties and celebrations as a delicious appetizer before the meal.
How To Make Benne Cake
Making benne cake is fairly simple. You need to toast some sesame seeds. After that, you will mix your dough and bake your cookies. Once your cakes are done, you will have a great treat to enjoy.
How Do I Toast My Sesame Seeds?
To start, you will need to toast your sesame seeds. You should use a dry pan over medium heat to toast your seeds.
Toast the seeds until they brown slightly. Do not cook them until they burn.
How Long Should I Bake My Benne Cake?
Your benne cake should be baked at 325 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 163 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes. The edges should be browned when they’re done.
You may need to cook your benne cake for a bit longer if the do not look done after 15 minutes.
Cool your cake on an iron cooling rack before serving.
Tips To Make The Best Benne Cakes
Soften your butter. Your butter needs to be softened to make benne cakes. There are many ways to soften your butter for baking.
- You can slice your butter into small chunks. This encourages it to soften faster.
- You can place the butter in a Ziploc bag and pound it with a rolling pin.
- It can take awhile for butter to soften, so set it out for about an hour before you make your benne cakes.
Drop your cakes into the sheet. Benne cakes are drop cookies. This means you use a rounded teaspoon to scoop up the dough. From there, gently drop the cakes into the plate.
- Keep the cookies about two inches apart.
If you liked this Benne Cake recipe, you may also like some of my cake recipes:
Enjoy!
Some suggestions for Amazon links to “Benn Wafers”.
Benne Cakes
Ingredients
- oil to grease a cookie sheet
- finely packed brown sugar
- butter or margarine
- egg (beaten)
- vanilla extract
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven.
- Lightly oil a cookie sheet.
- Mix together the brown sugar and butter and beat until they are creamy.
- Stir the Egg, Vanilla extract and lemon juice.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt and sesame seeds.
- Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 15 min or until the edges are browned.
- You can enjoy it with chilled juice.
