Super Soft & Moist Matcha / Green Tea Cake with a Velvety Smooth Vanilla Buttercream and White Chocolate Matcha Drip…!!
My blog turned 2… Happy Birthday Pepper Delight…!!
Two years of blogging, My My! Who would have thought about this twist in my journey into the world of blogs? There was never a moment in these two years I ever thought about quitting; in fact, it was one of the best decisions in my career. Life has been so beautiful with this blog on my side, a heavenly space where I can share my passion for cooking n photography, and opened for me a new world of knowledge; both food and styling, and of course an amazing pack of friends! So, Thank You my family, friends and my dear readers for the huge support you have showered me with… !
Every year for my blog anniversary, I bake something special to celebrate the big day, and an excuse to eat cake, right? Baking a matcha cake was on my list for a long time, but I was waiting for that perfect day. Last year for my blog’s first anniversary, I baked a Chocolate Hazelnut Cake which became the most popular recipe of 2017, and gifted me with so many features and shoutouts! Fingers crossed, let this matcha cake be another great beginning…
So, what is matcha? Matcha is the new sensational ingredient in the food industry; it’s powdered green tea leaves! The recipes with matcha are not limited to tea, but range from a wide variety of smoothies, cakes, to bread recipes. This green powder is a hot topic, the caffeine content of matcha is just half of that in a cup of black coffee and so makes it more favorable. Matcha is considered as a powerhouse of antioxidants, helps in lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels, and also calms your body and mind.
And this cake? It’s the BEST!!! I know that I repeat this dialogue every time, but trust me guys…this cake is…OMG, seriously so delicious! The right balance of sweetness with a silky-smooth frosting, and a nutty white chocolate drip that just literally melts in your mouth. Don’t be intimidated by green tea, matcha not only gives the beautiful green color, the flavor too is amazing. This recipe is just perfect for any celebrations, birthdays, or anniversaries.
Enjoy, Happy Baking…!
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- 1¾ cup flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp matcha powder
- ½ cup + 3tbsp unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup milk (at room temperature)
- 1 cup +4tbsp unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- 1½ cup powdered sugar
- 3 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 tbsp heavy cream (at room temperature)
- 2 tsp matcha powder
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 oz white chocolate
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
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Line three 6-inch pans with parchment paper, apply butter to the pan and set aside.
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In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder salt and matcha powder. Set aside.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy. Add the granulated sugar and beat until combined.
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Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by adding vanilla extract.
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Add the dry ingredients alternating with milk and beat until they combine well. The cake batter will be dense, but that’s completely ok.
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Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
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Unmold the cakes carefully to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
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Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat until it turns out smooth.
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Add milk as needed for desired consistency. Make sure your frosting is not runny or too thick, it should be spreadable.
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Level the top surface of all the cakes by shaving off the uneven portions.
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Place your cake base on a turntable/cake stand.
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Apply a little frosting on the center of the cake base and spread. This helps the cake to stay tight and not slide off.
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Place the bottom cake on the center on the cake base.
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Apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the cake in the center and level it leaving ½ inch gap from the edges of the cake.
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Place the middle layer cake on top and press gently so that the excess frosting oozes out of the sides, if any.
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Repeat step 5.
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10. Place the third/final cake upside down on top of the frosting, so that the flat bottom of the cake faces upwards. Gently press and apply a thin layer of frosting on top of the third cake. Using a spatula, level the top and the oozed out frosting around the sides of the cake to form a thin and evenly covered crumb coating.
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11. Refrigerate 30 minutes for the crumb coating to set properly.
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12. Now apply the final coat of frosting on top and around the cake, starting from the bottom to the top. Scrape down the excess frosting using a scraper. Refrigerate for another 30 minutes before pouring the matcha drip.
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Into a microwave safe bowl, sift the matcha powder and add 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream. Mix well until the powder is dissolved and there are no lumps.
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Pour the remaining heavy cream and mix well evenly.
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Now add the white chocolate to the cream-matcha mix and microwave for 30 seconds. The chocolate would have partially melted and using a spatula mix well till all the chocolate has dissolved and you get a thick sauce. If chocolate lumps exist, microwave at 10 second intervals and repeat till completely dissolved.
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Keep stirring till the sauce has cooled down, and then pour over the assembled cake. Refrigerate it to set for 15 mins.
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Decorate with fresh fruits or flowers.
- Grease your pan properly to avoid any cracks or holes in your cake. This helps the cake to slide through the sides of the pan easily.
- The vanilla buttercream frosting should be of the right consistency and spreadable. If it turn’s out to be loose, refrigerate for 15-30 mins to thicken. During winters, butter may turn cold and not stay at room temperature. In that case your frosting can become thick/buttery; either microwave the frosting for a few seconds, or try out the hair dryer method (worked out for me), and beat again till the perfect consistency.
- Hair Dryer method – While whisking your thickened frosting on a medium to high speed, point a hair dryer at high heat to the outer bottom of your bowl. You will see that butter starts melting and the frosting turn creamier. Turn off your dryer immediately (as the bowl will retain some heat), and continue whisking till you get the perfect consistency.
- Pick the cake with the prettiest bottom for your topmost layer. Use the ones with cracks or holes for the middle or bottom layers.
- Assemble / decorate the cake after placing on a turntable.
- Use a strong/sturdy scraper to scrape down the excess frosting from the sides of the cake.
- Refrigerate the crumb coated and fully frosted stages of cake to set properly before topping with the white chocolate matcha drip. You can even bake the cake in advance and frost the next day to manage time.
- Finally, ensure the cake is brought back to a room temperature before serving.
Super Cake Akhila. The combination of green and White gives it a royal touch.
Congratulations on the 2nd anniversary 🙂
Thank You So Much Praseeth..:-)
Awsome cake girl….Good job.
Thank You my dear bro 🙂
Cake looks delicious …congrats on 2nd anniversary..😀
Thank You So Much Amma 🙂 <3
Congratulations chechi..
Keep surprising us…
Thank You so much Ashish 🙂
Congrats chechi …. Beautiful 🍰
Thank You Ricky 🙂
Congratulations on your blog anniversary Akhila!!! (yay!!!!)
This cake looks amazing! Fluffy, with velvety frosting and a delicious glaze! Awesome combination!!!
Thank You so much Makos :-)…!!!
This cake is adorable ,you have decorated this cake in very unique way i loved it.
Thank You Robin for the wonderful feedback, You made my day 🙂
Yummmm……….. matcha cake with buttercream frosting looks very delicious and mouthwatering.
Thank You Simran 🙂
I loved this cake! I am in love with green tea. I got many compliments on it. I did add another teaspoon of matcha to get more green tea flavor. Awesome recipe 😁
That’s wonderful. Thank You Clarice for trying out my recipe and posting your feedback. So glad you liked it <3 🙂
Never made a matcha cake before, but have tried many. Made this with my boyfriend for his mom’s birthday, and IT CAME OUT AMAZING! She’s also a baker and tends to be rather picky with desserts & opted for 2 slices of this cake! Only changes I made was add another 1/2 teaspoon of matcha to the cake batter for a stronger matcha taste and a little less sugar in the buttercream icing. Everything balances out very well, the matcha & buttercream work as does the white chocolate matcha drip. A perfect balance of flavors & sweetness/bitterness. Will definitely do a second batch as cake pops for friends and coworkers! Thank you Akhila for this outstanding recipe!
Thank You so much Mel! So happy for the wonderful comments, felt proud to hear that your mom loved it…
Thank You so much for a matcha cake which I’ve been looking for so long
Hi Akhila. I was looking for a recipe for Matcha cupcakes and found your beautiful cake! I’ll definitely have to try it whole some day but, in the meantime, any chance you’d have tips on turning it into cupcakes? Would it just be a matter of shorter baking time?
Yes, you can convert this recipe into cupcakes by keeping the oven temperature same; 350degree F. But the baking time may vary somewhere around 20-24 minutes. Do a toothpick test after 15 minutes by inserting into the center of the cupcake. If it comes out clean, you are done.
Lemme know how it turns out!
Thanks so much, I’ll let you know!