Japanese matcha powder is a wonder to mix into frostings, ice cream or cream for its Shrek-like colour and astringent taste. Here it pairs beautifully with chocolate for a showstopper dessert. I’ve cooked many chocolate cakes in my lifetime, but this one is the ultimate. My sister-in-law Amy divulged her family recipe to me and the cake has a springy moist texture and a pure cocoa flavour, but is not too rich.
Serves: 8
Prep: 45 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling
Cook: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 250 ml (9 fl oz) boiling water
- 75 g (21/2 oz) cocoa powder
- 350 g (12 oz) plain flour
- 350 g (12 oz) caster sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 250 ml (9 fl oz) milk
- 125 ml (4 fl oz) vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Matcha frosting:
- 325 g (111/2 oz) salted butter, at room temperature
- 650 g (1 lb 7 oz) icing (confectioners’) sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp matcha powder
- 3 tbsp milk
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) or 160 degrees Celsius (315 degrees Fahrenheit) fan forced. Grease and line two 20 cm (8 inch) or three 18 cm (7 inch) round springform cake tins.
- Pour the boiling water into a measuring jug and add the cocoa. Whisk the mixture smooth and let cool while you measure out all the remaining ingredients.
- Pour the remaining dry ingredients into the bowl of a standing electric mixer or use a large bowl and electric hand mixer.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla extract. When the cocoa mixture has cooled enough, whisk into the egg and milk mixture.
- On a slow speed, add the liquid until combined. Beat for 1 minute on slow speed. Pour the mixture into the tins. It will seem very liquid, but will bake up very light. Bake for 35-40 minutes on the centre rack of the oven. Cool in the tins and then remove.
- To make the matcha frosting, in the bowl of the standing mixer, whisk the butter on slow speed for 6-7 minutes until pale and fluffy. It’s imperative that your butter is at room temperature to get a smooth, silky texture. Add the sifted icing sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, keeping the speed slow. When finished, add the vanilla, sifted matcha and milk and keep beating until the mixture is very smooth. If it’s too thick, add another tablespoon of milk.
- Place one cake on a serving platter. Spread a thick layer of frosting to sandwich the two or three cakes. Ice the sides first and then the top. If you want to get a perfect finish, try “crumbing” the cake by first spreading a thin layer of frosting around the outside and top of the cake until everything is smoothed at the same level. Place in the fridge for 1 hour and the cake will set. Remove and then ice the cake with more frosting.
Also from My Asian Kitchen:
Jennifer Joyce shows how easy it is to create zingy, fresh, healthy Asian flavours at home. From grilled sticky skewers and steak tacos, salads, rice bowls and dumplings, to prawn katsu bao and miso-glazed ribs, My Asian Kitchen is an adventure in the dazzling diversity of modern Asian cooking. Bao buns, pho, sushi, poke bowls, gyoza, ramen and kimchi: Jennifer’s exquisitely simple recipes, no-nonsense explanation of ingredients, hand-drawn diagrams and beautiful photographs are all you need to start cooking in your very own Asian Kitchen. If you are a fan of Asian cookbooks such as Asian After Work, Complete Asian Cookbook, Thai Street Food, Lucky Peach or David Chang’s Momofuku you will love creating your own mouth-watering Asian dishes with Jennifer Joyce’s My Asian Kitchen.
Reprinted with permission from My Asian Kitchen by Jennifer Joyce and published by Murdoch Books, 2019.
