Matcha cake
To make a matcha cake, cream 175 g of butter with 160 g of caster sugar, beat in 3 eggs, then fold through 175 g of flour sifted with 8 g of culinary matcha and 1½ teaspoons of baking powder, loosened with 60 ml of milk. Bake in a loaf tin at 160 degrees Celsius fan for 50 to 55 minutes.
Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Total 70 min
Makes 1 loaf (about 10 slices)
Ingredients
- 175 g butter, softened
- 160 g caster sugar
- 3 eggs (size 7), at room temperature
- 175 g standard (plain) flour
- 8 g culinary grade matcha (about 4 level teaspoons)
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 60 ml milk
Method
- Prepare the tin and oven. Heat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius fan (180 conventional) and line a standard loaf tin (about 21 cm) with baking paper. Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge ahead of time. Room-temperature ingredients cream properly and rise evenly.
- Sift the dry ingredients. Sift the flour, matcha, baking powder and salt together twice. Matcha clumps exactly as it does in a drink, and unsifted powder leaves dark green streaks and bitter pockets in the crumb. This step is not optional.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Beat the butter and caster sugar for 3 to 4 minutes until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. If the mix looks curdled after the last egg, a spoonful of the flour mix brings it back.
- Fold and loosen. Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two additions, then stir in the milk until the batter is smooth and drops reluctantly from the spoon. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains. Overmixing toughens the crumb.
- Bake. Scrape the batter into the tin, level the top and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. If the top browns quickly after 40 minutes, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it.
- Cool completely. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then lift onto a rack and cool completely before slicing. A dusting of icing sugar, or icing sugar whisked with a few drops of water into a thin glaze, is all it needs.
How much matcha goes in a cake
About 8 g (roughly 4 level teaspoons) for a standard loaf, which is 6 to 10 g per batch depending on how assertive you want the tea flavour. Less than 6 g and the matcha reads as colour only; much past 10 g and bitterness starts to build faster than flavour. Culinary grade matcha is the right powder for the job: it is milled for exactly this use, its robust flavour survives baking, and it costs half or less per gram than ceremonial grade, which loses its delicate character in the oven anyway.
How do you keep matcha cake green
Three things dull matcha's colour in the oven: heat, time and stale powder. Bake at a moderate 160 degrees Celsius fan rather than pushing the temperature up, take the cake out as soon as the skewer comes out clean, and foil the top if it is browning early. The grey-olive tinge on some matcha bakes is mostly overbaking. Start with a vivid, fresh powder too: matcha that has faded in the tin to khaki goes into the oven dull and comes out duller. A recently opened bag of culinary matcha gives a noticeably greener crumb than one opened months ago.
Can you make it as a round cake or cupcakes
Yes, the batter is a standard creamed sponge and moves between tins happily. In a 20 cm round tin it bakes in about 40 to 45 minutes; as cupcakes, divide it between 12 cases and bake 18 to 20 minutes at the same temperature. For a layer cake, make the batter twice rather than doubling in one bowl (large creamed batches mix unevenly), and sandwich with whipped cream or a white chocolate ganache. White chocolate and matcha is a classic pairing for a reason.
How should you store matcha cake
Airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. The loaf actually slices better on day two. It freezes well for up to 3 months, whole or in slices; wrap tightly and thaw at room temperature. The green fades slightly with exposure to light and air, so keep it covered rather than sitting cut-side-out on a bench.
Common questions
- What grade of matcha is best for baking a cake?
- Culinary grade. It is milled and priced for cooking, and its stronger flavour holds up through butter, sugar and 55 minutes of oven time. Ceremonial grade works but wastes money. Its finesse does not survive baking.
- Why did my matcha cake turn brown or khaki?
- Usually overbaking or a too-hot oven (matcha's chlorophyll dulls with heat and time) or powder that was already stale. Bake at 160°C fan, stop at a clean skewer, and use a fresh, vivid green powder.
- Why does my matcha cake taste bitter?
- Too much powder, or powder that never got sifted and sits in concentrated pockets. Stay in the 6 to 10 g band per loaf and sift the matcha with the flour twice.
- Can I use a cake mix and just add matcha?
- You can: sift 6 to 8 g of matcha into a vanilla cake mix's dry ingredients. The result is greener than it is matcha-flavoured, but it works for a quick version.