Matcha (Green Tea) and White Chocolate Cake

My youngest son, Matthew, turned 13 yesterday.  No party.  Just a simple dinner at home with the family plus my brother and his two kids.  Matthew didn't even request for special food for the day, except for one, cathedral windows.  I only make this occasionally so he misses it. With just one recipe,  I was able to fill two Tupperware jelly moulds and one loaf pan.  My little (big) boy was very happy!

I still wanted to make cake though.  I thought it wouldn't matter that much if Matthew didn't even like the cake flavour as he already had the jelly anyway.  I took this opportunity to try something new.

Unlike most of the cakes I've made in the past, this new creation was not imitated from an existing cake.  Rather, it was inspired by this...

Green tea Kit Kat! (Image Credit: this Japanese forum)

Green tea Kit Kats are hard to find in Australia.  Mostly sold in Asian groceries, buying them is definitely an indulgence as they are very expensive.  From where I get them, a packet of 12 minis cost $9.90!  Nothing really extraordinary with this confection - it is basically just matcha, white chocolate, and wafers combined.  Simple enough to translate into cake form, right?

I didn't want wafers on my cake.  As usual, I preferred a chiffon cake base.  More importantly, I wanted the green tea and white chocolate flavour combination to stand out.

Let me tell you one thing about this cake -  I     loved     it   !  S E R I O U S L Y.

Excuse the ugly disposable plate please!

I really didn't expect it, but after we sang "Happy Birthday", everyone lined up to get a slice.  Even Matthew! :))) My oldest son, who is health and exercise-conscious and avoids sweets at most times, took a second serving.  By the end of the night, we only had little cake left.  I honestly didn't foresee that!

Green tea probably isn't for everyone BUT I would highly recommend for you to try this cake.  Hope you will like it as I much as I did!

GREEN TEA and WHITE CHOCOLATE CAKE

For the chiffon:

Ingredients:

{A}
1 1/8 cups cake flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 teaspoons matcha (green tea) powder*

{B}
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil
1/3 cup water or milk
a pinch or tiny drop of apple green food colouring (gel paste or powdered), optional**

{C}
4 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

{D}
3/8 cup sugar

* I buy mine in the Asian grocery.
**I noticed that different brands of matcha powder have slight differences in shades.  Some are more like olive green, some like apple green.  Adding a tiny bit of food colouring just adds more vibrancy, but it is not necessary.

Procedure:

1.  Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
2.  In a large bowl, combine {A} well.  Add in {B}.  Beat with electric mixer or by hand until smooth and well blended.
3.  In a separate bowl, beat {C} on high speed until frothy.  Gradually add in {D} and beat until stiff peaks are formed.  Gradually and gently fold in egg whites into egg yolk mixture.  Pour batter into an ungreased 8" round, 3" high pan lined with parchment paper at the bottom.
4.  Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched.  Invert pan into wire rack immediately and cool completely.
5.  To release, carefully run a thin knife around sides of pan.

For the White Chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream:

4 eggwhites
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
300 g unsalted butter, very soft
a pinch of salt
150 grams white chocolate, melted and cooled

In a large, clean heatproof bowl, combine the eggwhites and sugar. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat the mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch. Remove the bowl from the saucepan.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the eggwhite mixture until it is fluffy, cooled to room temperature, and holds stiff peaks.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add the salt and the butter, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. If the frosting appears to separate or is very liquid after all the butter has been added, continue to beat on high speed until it is smooth and creamy. Add the melted white chocolate gradually and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

To assemble cake:

Cut your cake horizontally in half. Invert top layer onto your cake board. Spread a layer of buttercream over your cake half, then top with other cake layer, cut side down. Cover the whole cake with more buttercream.  To create the same look as the pictured cake, use the back of a spoon to make the swirls all over the cake.  Fill a piping bag fitted with a large star tip (I used a Wilton 1M) and pipe big 'e''s around the cake edge to create a border.  Dust the cake top with matcha powder, if desired.