DISH RESEARCH · Dish
Benne Cakes
Thin Lowcountry sesame cookies with crisp edges and a caramel-like brown-sugar flavour.
About Benne Cakes
Benne cakes, commonly called benne wafers, are thin sesame-seed cookies associated with South Carolina's Lowcountry. This profile follows Southern Living's fixed toasted-sesame version with dark brown sugar.
Toasted sesame provides a deep, nutty aroma while brown sugar supplies caramel and molasses notes. Butter and vanilla round the flavour, with salt keeping the sweetness balanced.
The baked wafers spread into small, flat golden discs freckled with sesame seeds. They are delicate and crisp, with lacy edges and a light snap rather than a soft cake-like crumb.
Allergens in this recipe
Contains: Milk, Egg, Wheat, Sesame.
Other allergen details are unconfirmed.
Ingredients vary by restaurant. Confirm your allergens with staff before ordering.
Ingredients in Benne Cakes
Southern Living's Lowcountry Benne Wafers.
- Unsalted butterRichness and crisp spread
- Dark brown sugarCaramel-like sweetness
- EggBatter binding
- Vanilla extractSweet aromatic depth
- Wheat flourWafer structure
- Kosher saltFlavour balance
- Toasted sesame seedsDefining nutty benne flavour
Ingredient details & uncertainties
Allergen information is incomplete. Unconfirmed details do not establish that an allergen is absent.
- Unsalted butter:
- Dark brown sugar:
- Egg:
- Vanilla extract:
- Wheat flour: . The source names flour; mapped to the established wheat-flour record
- Kosher salt:
- Toasted sesame seeds: . The recipe permits benne seeds in place of modern sesame; the published formula uses toasted sesame seeds and maps to the sesame-seed record
Origins & food traditions
Southern Living identifies benne wafers as a Lowcountry recipe and supplies a complete butter, brown-sugar, egg, vanilla, flour and toasted-sesame version; Charleston's official visitor guide independently identifies the golden sesame discs as a traditional local treat. The queue name Benne Cakes is retained while the documented regional name Benne Wafers is stated explicitly.
Countries
- United States
- Sierra LeoneCatalogue link pending review
Cuisines & regions
- American Cuisine
- Lowcountry Cuisine
- Sierra Leonean CuisineCatalogue link pending review
AI-generated illustration of one possible presentation. Recipes and ingredients vary; the image does not establish allergen content.