Friday 16 June 2017

Matcha Tea & Chocolate Sponge Cake

For you eagle-eyed readers, this cake could be seen in the background of the homemade bubble tea post. After playing around with the recipe, it's finally ready. Matcha tea and chocolate sponge cake. With matcha being one of my favourite ingredients at the moment it seemed only fitting to have a matcha cake. Combining chocolate into the mix really does help to break through all matcha tea. You get the distinctive matcha natural sweetness and aroma with the earthiness from the chocolate providing a more stable taste.

Feel free to get as creative as you like when decorating. Whether you'd like just a 3 tier sandwich cake, fully covered in buttercream or even a more rustic look of a half-finished feel cake like I went for. Leaving some sponge uncovered, random piping and not smoothed out. Depending on how you wish to decorate can dictate how you with to make your sponges. I decided to marble mine for a better-distributed flavour through the cake, however, it's not vital.

Whether you're sitting indoors to evade the sun, soaking it up or working, this cake is perfect. With a clean flavour, you can sit back and enjoy with a cuppa and even share with colleagues as you get a great 12 portions from this cake.

If this cake has you in a cake baking fever, check out these other cakes which are part of an ever-growing list.

Recipe

Ingredients:                                                                                                      (Serves 12)

(Sponge)

150g softened butter
150g caster sugar
150g cake flour/ self-raising
3 eggs
45g cocoa powder
10g matcha tea powder

(Buttercream)

250g softened butter
500g icing sugar
3g matcha tea powder
20g cocoa powder
2 tbsp milk

Method:
  • For the sponges, cream together the butter and the sugar. When light, gradually add the eggs, followed by the flour.
  • Split the cake batter into 2. In the first, beat in the cocoa powder, then the matcha into the other half.
  • Evenly distribute both batters between 3 18-20cm lined tins with greaseproof paper. With either the skewer or the handle of a spoon, give the batters a good mix for the marble effect. 
  • Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 12-18 minutes. (Oven dependant). Check with a skewer that they are cooked before removing. 
  • Leave to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before, removing and cooling on a wire rack.
  • For the buttercream, beat the softened butter until pale and light. Sift in half the icing sugar and beat well, sift in the rest and mix thoroughly. Add the milk to loosen the buttercream. (Add more if required).
  • Split the buttercream in half. Beat the sifted matcha tea powder into one, sifted cocoa powder into the other.
  • For the building, once the sponges are cold it's time to build. Healthily cover the top of one with matcha buttercream. Add a layer of sponge and cover with chocolate buttercream. Top off with the last sponge. 
  • Spoon all remaining matcha buttercream on top the top of the cake. Smooth over the top and roughly do the sides. With a little chocolate buttercream, you're looking to give a 2-3cm rim of frosting at the top. If you can try and work the 2 buttercreams together so it's not a harsh transition. Don't worry if it's not perfect it's not meant to be.
  • With any remaining buttercream, decorate as you please.

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2 comments

  1. This looks absolutely perfect, Neil! Do you find that there is a thin line between using just enough and too much matcha?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Azlin! Most definitely, especially if it's used with other flavours.

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