A Matcha Dust Storm

Baking is hard. So is cooking for that matter, but I have less of an excuse for baking things since I love precision and following orders. It’s only the fact that I don’t have my own kitchen and all the utensils I’ve always wanted that’s holding me back. Or at least that’s what I pretend my hurdle is. In other news, I love how there’s no need for food colouring and this thing still ends up entirely green. Green tea is so Asian and featured in drinks and desserts everywhere, but it’s still the best thing ever.

I wanted to bake a cake for Christmas Day which I spent in Sydney this year. Hours were spent researching a million food blogs and recipes online to find certain elements I could gather together to create what I had in mind. I drew up what I had envisioned as far as aesthetics were concerned (I actually sketched my imagined cake in a small art book) and gathered all the ingredients and bakeware I needed in preparation.

So I had this whole self-made recipe written up, with exact measurements and 23 steps that were referenced from four different sites. I get pretty obsessed with planning things when I get an idea stuck in my head, I know. It didn’t happen in the end anyway because my sister-in-law made an amazingly decadent cheesecake for Christmas dinner. But I’m glad I didn’t attempt it that night because you should know that whenever I try cooking or baking, I always mess things up. Anyway, I’m gonna try and make the cake again in the future with the necessary adjustments for it to be heaps better, but until then, I’m gonna keep the current edited recipe here in this post so I can refer to it later.

Matcha Chiffon Cake with Cream and Berries

Ingredients:

Matcha cake:
3 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons (40ml) oil
1/3 cup (70ml) milk
2/3 cup (80g) cake flour
1 tablespoon (10g) matcha (green tea powder)
4 large egg whites
1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar

Matcha cream:
1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
2 tablespoons (20g) sugar
1 teaspoon (5g) matcha (green tea powder)

Decorations:
Pinch of matcha (green tea powder)
Almond slices
Strawberries, blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 170°C or 150°C fan forced.
2. Whisk the egg yolks, oil, and milk in a large bowl.
3. Sift the cake flour and matcha into the bowl and fold into the mixture until evenly combined.
4. Using an electric mixer (stand or handheld), beat the egg whites on low-medium speed for 2-3 minutes until it turns foamy.
5. Increase the speed to medium, add the sugar gradually, and continue until stiff peaks form.
6. Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the flour mixture until it is well-combined. Fold in the rest of the egg whites in another 2-3 more batches.
7. Pour the mixture into two cake pans prepared with baking paper and release some air bubbles by tapping it on a countertop.
8. Bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (approx. 15mins).
9. Once it is taken out of the oven, allow it to cool completely before removing it from the pan.
10. Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar, and matcha on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to assemble the cake.
11. Spread the cream on top of one of the cakes and place the second one on top.
12. Spread the rest evenly across the top and lightly dust the matcha on.
13. Arrange almond slices and fresh fruit as desired.
14. Slice and serve!

Even though this didn’t turn out the way I wanted, I could practically inhale the entire cake myself. Maybe I’m just dealing with a craving for green tea flavoured things or have a lack of overly-sugared sweets in the house; I’m quite glad that it’s edible at the very least. All in all, I have not lost hope in improving my baking abilities – 2016’s gonna be a better year!

 

Kassfish