Matcha marble cake is lots of fun with its rich matcha tea swirls! It’s fun, quick and easy and it is perfect to serve for an afternoon tea with friends, a cosy breakfast with family or as a delicious treat as a snack!
Let me share a few tips and tricks to make your matcha marble cake:
How to Create the Marble Effect for Pound Cake - Perfect swirls
Make the swirl with the green and yellow batter in the bowl before transfer to the cake pan. Once you have the regular batter and the matcha batter in two different bowls, drop 7/8 dollops of green batter on top of the regular batter leaving some space between one and another. At this point fold the batters together with a spatula from the bottom of the bowl to the top in semi-circular motions. Repeat the folding move only three times. This is very important, if you keep folding the batters will over mix and you won’t obtain the marble effect.
The Crack on The Pound Cake
Did you know the pound cake is supposed to have a crack on the top? A pound cake is defined by the crack on the top which gives it a rustic appearance and helps the cake bake properly on the inside as well. To achieve the perfect crack, after about 12 minutes into baking, insert a knife into the top of the cake batter in the pan and score a straight line. Do it quickly so you won’t lose the oven heat.
The Right Matcha Powder
For this baking recipe we chose The Zen Tea 15 - Yame Matcha, which is probably the best matcha choice for a premium culinary use. Contrary to other culinary matcha teas that you may find out there, which are usually made of 3rd harvest leaves or a mix of multiple origin Autumn harvest powders, our 15 - Yame matcha it's made from 2nd harvest tea leaves, single origin from Yame. This matcha is carefully crafted to accentuate a balanced rich-robust matcha flavour in baking recipes, and its authentic green colour won't disappoint. You can find 15 - Yame Matcha on our website here.
Butter at Room Temperature
It’s fundamental that the butter is at room temperature before you start. Beat the butter until it is light and fluffy and lots of little tails foam around the beaters, about 1-2 minutes.
Add the Beaten Eggs a Few Spoons at the Time
To achieve a smooth batter, add in a very small amount, 1 or 2 Tbsp, of the beaten egg in the mixture and beat well after each addition. And make sure that also the eggs are at room temperature. If there is a slightly curdled appearance to the batter after adding the eggs, don’t worry, it will smoothen when you add the flour.
Flour
You can either use 200g of plain flour or 160g of plain flour well mixed with 40g of corn flour. Using the corn flour will result in a softer texture, while using only plain flour will result in a firmer cake. It is entirely up to you, we love this cake both ways! If you decide to use plain flour and corn flour, make sure you sift them together a few times before use.
The Recipe
PREP TIME: 30 mins
COOK TIME: 1 hr
COOL TIME: 30 mins
SERVINGS: 1 loaf (8.5 x 4.5 x 2.75 inches)
INGREDIENTS:
- 160 g unsalted butter (plus some to grease the pan)
- 160 g sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 60 ml warm milk
- 20 g 15 – Yame Matcha
- 200 g plain flour (or 160g plain flour and 40g corn flour mixed)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
METHOD:
1. Use butter and the eggs at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 170ºC. Grease the pan (about 8.5x4.5x2.75) with the extra butter and place parchment paper inside.
2. Put the butter in a bowl and beat it on medium speed until it is fluffy. Add the sugar and continue whipping on medium speed for 5mins.
3. Whisk well the eggs in a bowl then add a very small amount at the time in the mixture and beat well after each addition. Repeat until the beaten eggs are completely mixed in the whipped butter.
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt previously mixed together in 3 or 4 additions and through a fine sifter over the egg mixture. In between additions now use a silicone spatula to mix making sure you scrape to the bottom of the bowl.
5. Heat the milk until warm and add it to 20g of 15-Yame matcha in a bowl and whisk well till combined. Then take a third of the batter and mix with the matcha mixture until smooth.
6. Now the fun part! Add 7-8 dollops of matcha batter into the original batter. Then fold the entire batter from the bottom of the bowl using a silicone spatula for 3 times ONLY.
7. Pour the batter into the pan without mixing and tap the cake pan on the countertop to release the trapped air. Using the spatula smooth out the surface BUT do not mix too much.
8. Put the cake in the oven, after 15 mins score the top of the cake with a sharp knife to obtain the typical cut of a loaf cake. Continue to bake for another 35-40 mins and take the cake out only when the wooden skewer comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool down completely before serving. Enjoy!
To Store
You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Get 15 - Yame Matcha we used for this recipe here.
