On my recent trip to Japan, we found matcha - Japanese green tea
powder – blended into EVERYTHING! Cookies, cake, ice cream (Kyle loved the soft
ice cream).
I’m embarrassed to say that, early on in the trip, we weren’t
familiar with matcha and were served a strange "gel" formation on a
plate; it was actually a perfect rectangle. My boys called it "mystery
gel" and wouldn't touch it. I tasted it and realized it had a wonderful
green tea flavor!
Matcha literally means
“powdered tea”, but unlike traditional green tea, matcha tea plants are covered
with shade cloths before they’re harvested. For some reason, this produces leaves
with better flavor and texture. The leaves are then hand selected, steamed
briefly to stop fermentation, dried and aged in cold storage (this lengthy process
deepens the flavor). The dried leaves are then stone-ground into a fine powder.
There are plenty of
health benefits associated with matcha – I mean think about it, the powder is a
concentrated source of the nutrients found in green tea.
To get you excited
about matcha, start by making tea with 1 teaspoon of the powder mixed with 1/3
cup hot (not boiling) water. In Japan, they whisk the mixture with a bamboo
brush until it froths. If you have a bamboo brush, please froth it up!
I also think you
should try this amazing cake! It’s got the flavor of green tea with hints of
honey and vanilla. Not too sweet, just right. Let me know what you think!
Cake
1 cup coconut oil,
plus more for greasing pans
1 cup all-purpose
flour, plus more for dusting pans
1 cup cake flour
4 teaspoons green tea
powder (macha)
1 1/2 teaspoons
baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated
sugar
3 tablespoons honey
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
extract
1 cup plain yogurt
Icing
1 1/4 cups
confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons green tea
powder
2 tablespoons unsalted
butter, softened
3 ounces cream
cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
extract
1 1/2 teaspoons milk
Preheat the oven to
350 degrees. Using a paper towel, grease the bottom and sides of two 9-inch
round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour and set aside.
To make the cake, sift
together both flours, green tea powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl,
beat together the coconut oil, sugar, honey, and eggs until blended and smooth.
Beat in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture and yogurt, alternating each and
ending with the flour mixture.
Pour the batter
into the prepared pans and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a wooden pick comes
out almost clean (little bits of cake clinging to the pick is ideal). Cool the
pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes before flipping and cooling the cakes on the
rack.
To make the icing,
sift together the confectioners' sugar and green tea powder. In a medium bowl,
combine the tea mixture, butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and milk. Beat with an
electric mixer until smooth.
Once the cakes are
completely cooled, put one layer on a flat serving plate. Spread a thin layer
of icing over the top. Place the second cake layer on top and spread icing all
over the top and sides.
Serve cold or room
temperature.
Serves 6-8
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