WHITE CAKE WITH MATCHA WHIP

Another birthday, another cake! I really love the beautiful, mossy green that matcha transforms whipped cream into, so I decided to make that as a frosting to the typical white cake I usually make. I was a little worried because the frosting seemed to be quite bitter when I tasted it, but the sweetness of the cake nicely balances it out.

Compared to the first few cakes I posted, the frosting jobs have been getting cleaner. This is because I’ve learned a trick that makes frosting easier to spread in clean, uniform lines! Give the cake a crumb coat before sticking it in the freezer for ten minutes. Take it out, put the rest of the frosting on, smooth to the best of your abilities, and then stick it in the freezer again for ten minutes before taking it out and doing final smoothing and finishing touches. Freezing the cake hardens the whipped cream, which makes it easier to smooth without creating noticeable lines and working the cream too much! You’ll notice the difference!

White Cake with Matcha Whipped Cream

Adapted from Koreaforniancooking

Makes 1 two layer 9-inch cake

Cake

1 cup sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ cup butter, melted

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup milk, scalded

6 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

Matcha Whipped Cream

3 cups heavy whipping cream

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons matcha powder

Fruit for decoration

To make cake: Sift together flour and baking powder. Add butter and vanilla to scalded milk and keep hot. Beat egg yolks till thick and lemon colored; gradually beat in sugar. Quickly add flour mixture; stir just till mixed. Gently stir in the hot milk mixture. Bake in a greased 9-inch-square, 2-inch-high pan in a moderate-heat oven (350 degrees F) for 30 to 35 minutes or till done. Cool thoroughly. (Do not invert the pan.)

To make frosting: In a chilled metal bowl, whip the heavy cream on high speed with an electric mixer using a whisk attachment. When cream begins to thicken, add vanilla extract, matcha powder, and the optional 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar if desired. Continue to beat on high speed until fully whipped. When working with whipped cream, be careful not to over-whip!

To assemble: Trim off any brown bits from the sponge cake. Slice the cake into two layers with a serrated knife. Remove the to layer and set aside. Frost the bottom layer with some whipped topping, then put the second layer on and frost around the edges of the cake. Top the cake with fruit and decorate as you wish.