A wire rack displaying three golden toaster strudels topped with icing. The top strudel shows a bite taken out of the side, revealing a black sesame cream cheese filling.

Baking | Sweet

Black Sesame Toaster Strudel

Byvocabularyoffood March 4, 2024March 4, 2024

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Flaky puff pastry stuffed with a sweet and nutty roasted black sesame cream cheese filling and drizzled with vanilla icing. Inspired by the fruit-filled toaster strudels of my childhood, these black sesame toaster strudels are a yummy twist on the classic. Using store-bought puff pastry, they come together effortlessly. The best part about homemade strudels is that you are not limited to a tiny packet of icing. Listen to your stomach and let the icing drizzle!

What are toaster strudels?

Toaster strudels usually come in a box from the store. They’re made of layers of thin flaky pastry dough, similar to a croissant, and filled with sweet or savory ingredients. Plus, they often come with a packet of icing that you can drizzle on top to make them even tastier! Toaster strudels usually have a flakier pastry texture, while Pop-Tarts have a firmer, crumbly texture more like a cookie or pie crust. They come with a separate packet of icing that you can drizzle over the top after toasting, allowing you to customize the amount and decoration of the icing. Pop-Tarts typically have a pre-applied frosting.

Why This Recipe Works

Making toaster strudels at home gives you total control over what goes into them and how they taste. You can try out different fillings, like classic fruit or unique ones like my black sesame filling, and adjust them to suit your preferences. Homemade toaster strudels are usually fresher and tastier than the ones you buy at the store.

The filling in this recipe is creamy and not too runny, which makes it easy to work with. That means it’s simple to portion out and shape between the layers of pastry. You can enjoy these toaster strudels for breakfast or make them in different shapes that you like. You can even turn them into cheese danishes if you want to try something different! Overall, making your own toaster strudels at home lets you be creative and enjoy delicious pastries that you’ve made yourself. If you enjoy this recipe, you may also love my Black Sesame Tang Yuan, Egg Tart, Classic Sesame Balls, Salted Egg Yolk Custard Buns (Liusha Bao), and Steamed Buns (Mantou) recipes.

An overhead shot of four golden toaster strudels topped with icing cooling on a wire rack.

Special Ingredients

Ingredients needed to make black sesame toaster strudel from top left to bottom right: puff pastry sheets, confectioner's sugar, cream cheese, creme fraiche, black sesame powder, light corn syrup, sugar, egg, water, salt, and vanilla extract — Ingredients needed to make black sesame toaster strudel from top left to bottom right: puff pastry sheets, confectioner’s sugar, cream cheese, creme fraiche, black sesame powder, light corn syrup, sugar, egg, water, salt, and vanilla extract

What is puff pastry?

Puff pastry is a type of dough that’s used to make all sorts of delicious pastries, like croissants and danishes. The dough is made with flour, water, and eggs. What’s cool about puff pastry is that it’s made up of dozens of layers. These layers are created by folding dough with a butter block over and over. They usually come in a large rectangular sheet making them super versatile to shape. When you bake it in the oven, the butter melts and creates steam, which puffs up the layers of dough, making them really light and flaky.

Puff pastry has two different styles: a European and Chinese version. The ingredients for Chinese puff pastries differ very slightly due to the inclusion of lard, a traditional ingredient used in iconic pastries like the Egg Tart. If you interested in the Chinese Puff Pastry, you can refer to my Egg Tart recipe.

Store-bought puff pastry often comes with a layer of flour or parchment paper to stop it from sticking. I’ve discovered that it’s important to remove the extra flour, especially before adding the filling and brushing on the egg white. Too much flour can make it tricky to seal the pastry properly.

Because puff pastry contains fats like butter, lard, or shortening, it’s crucial to keep it cold. It should feel chilled but it should not be too frozen where it can crack if forcibly moved. I suggest working with one puff pastry sheet at a time and keeping the remaining thawed sheet in the fridge until you’re ready to use it. Thawing guidelines are typically provided on the package; a standard sheet usually requires about 40 minutes to thaw at around 65°F.

What is black sesame?

Black sesame is a type of seed that comes from a flowering plant called Sesamum indicum. These seeds are small, flat, and have a very dark gray or black color. They’re often used in cooking and baking, especially in Asian cuisines like Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Black sesame seeds have a slightly different taste compared to white sesame seeds. They’re nuttier and have a richer flavor, kind of like roasted nuts.

What is black sesame powder?

Black sesame powder is created by grinding hulled and toasted black sesame seeds into a fine powder. Black sesame has a unique nutty taste and it’s the perfect ingredient to use in a dish to add depth and richness. I also use it in my Black Sesame Tang Yuan recipe.

I’ve tried making my own roasted black sesame powder by toasting it in the oven, grinding it down into a fine powder in my food processor, and straining it in a sieve. This epically failed for me! Roasting sesame seeds at home in a conventional oven can result in uneven toasting and is prone to burning. Additionally, if the seeds are not fully toasted and are ground, they may have a soapy taste. They will also have a gritty texture, as it’s challenging to remove the shells completely through straining in a sieve alone. It’s much simpler to purchase pre-made black sesame powder. You can find it at your local Chinese grocery store for around $7.00 per bag.

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