Japanese Holiday Baking: How To Make Matcha Cake For Beginners

Happy Holidays! Or maybe we should say Happy Matcha-days instead! Today, we have something unique and different to make your holiday celebrations even more special: Matcha Cake! Everyone will love this dessert.

Japanese Matcha is a form of green tea – the tea leaves are grown in the shade and then finely ground up into a powder. It is generally consumed mixed into a liquid like water or milk. Traditionally, matcha is central to many tea rituals. However, today, its popularity has skyrocketed, and it has made its way into coffee drinks, candies, pastries, and baked goods like cake! Matcha is perfect for baking because it is an easy way to add some green tea flavoring into your creation. Also, the taste nicely complements other common flavorings like vanilla, lemon, and ginger. Moreover, it is an all-natural food dye! Here is a great beginner level Matcha Cake recipe you can try right at home to get you started on your matcha journey. Enjoy!

Matcha Cake

Cake Ingredients

• 2 sticks of softened butter
• 1 cup of granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons of food-grade matcha powder
• 2 tablespoons of water

Frosting Ingredients

• 6 ounces of softened cream cheese
• 2/3 cups of granulated sugar
• 2 cups of cold heavy cream
• A pinch of kosher salt

Garnish Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon of food-grade matcha powder

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease two 8 inch cake pans with cooking spray and line them with parchment paper.
2. Mix the butter sticks and granulated sugar together in a bowl for about 3-4 minutes until you have a fluffy consistency.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Next, add the yolks into the butter and sugar and mix until combined.
4. In another bowl, whisk the baking powder, all-purpose flour, matcha powder, and cornstarch. Then, slowly fold the mixture into the bowl with the butter, sugar, and yolks.
5. Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites for 3-4 minutes until peaks form. Then, slowly (not all at once!) add the egg whites into the batter and mix.
6. Pour the batter evenly into the two greased pans and bake for between 17 and 19 minutes. After, let them cool completely. 
7. To make the frosting, mix the salt, cream cheese, and sugar together. Then, pour in the heavy cream piecemeal until peaks form. This process should take around 5 minutes. 
8. To create the garnish, mix the 2 tbsp of powdered sugar and the ½ tsp of food-grade matcha powder together. 
9. To assemble your cake, place the first cake on a plate or serving dish and cover it with half of the frosting. Then, place the second cake on top of the first and spread the remaining frosting. Lastly, sprinkle the garnish evenly atop the second cake.

So there you have it! A delicious and easy to follow Matcha Cake recipe that will definitely be the main event of any holiday dessert spread. At Bokksu, we love matcha, and we hope this recipe opens the door to all of the exciting and creative ways you can consume it! Let us know how your matcha baking adventures go, and send us a photo. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be sharing your very own matcha recipes!