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Matcha Cake with Buttercream Frosting and White Chocolate Matcha Drip - Pepper Delight #pepperdelightblog #recipe #cake #matchacake #greenteacake #birthdaycake #celebration #christmas #dessert #birthday #buttercream #party #matcha #japanesecake #seminakedcake #nakedcake #matchaganache #whitechocolateganache #bloganniversary #baking #kitchenaidusa
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Matcha Cake with Buttercream Frosting and White Chocolate Matcha Drip
Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 20 mins
 
Super Soft & Moist Matcha / Green Tea Cake with a Velvety Smooth Vanilla Buttercream and White Chocolate Matcha Drip…!! 
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: cake, matcha, matcha cake, naked cake
Servings: 10
Author: Akhila
Ingredients
For the Matcha Cake
  • 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)
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
  • 1 cup +4tbsp unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
  • 1½ cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 tbsp heavy cream (at room temperature)
For the White Chocolate Matcha Drip
  • 2 tsp matcha powder
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 4 oz white chocolate
Instructions
For the cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Line three 6-inch pans with parchment paper, apply butter to the pan and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients by sifting flour, baking powder salt and matcha powder. Set aside.
  4. 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.
  5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by adding vanilla extract.
  6. Add the dry ingredients alternating with milk and beat until they combine well. The cake batter will be dense, but that’s completely ok.
  7. Pour into the prepared pans and bake for 30-35 mins until a toothpick or a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
  8. Unmold the cakes carefully to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely.
For the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
  1. Beat butter until creamy. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract, beat until it turns out smooth.
  2. Add milk as needed for desired consistency. Make sure your frosting is not runny or too thick, it should be spreadable.
Assembling the cake
  1. Level the top surface of all the cakes by shaving off the uneven portions.
  2. Place your cake base on a turntable/cake stand.
  3. Apply a little frosting on the center of the cake base and spread. This helps the cake to stay tight and not slide off.
  4. Place the bottom cake on the center on the cake base.
  5. 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.
  6. Place the middle layer cake on top and press gently so that the excess frosting oozes out of the sides, if any.
  7. Repeat step 5.

  8. 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.

  9. Refrigerate 30 minutes for the crumb coating to set properly.

  10. 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.

For the White Chocolate Matcha Drip
  1. 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.
  2. Pour the remaining heavy cream and mix well evenly.
  3. 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.
  4. Keep stirring till the sauce has cooled down, and then pour over the assembled cake. Refrigerate it to set for 15 mins.
  5. Decorate with fresh fruits or flowers.
Notes
  • 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.