Matcha Cake

Matcha tea has been around for hundreds of years, but its vibrant pigment and elevated flavor has made itself a standout ingredient in the modern dessert world. In this matcha cake recipe, the star ingredient infuses its grassy, nutty, floral notes and Chartreuse-green color into two spongy cake layers. The mild and milky whipped cream frosting keeps things simple so the cake can shine, while tart, bright red raspberries complement the matcha in both flavor and color. This is one of those cakes where you’ll savor every single bite and eat every little crumb—my absolute favorite.

Matcha Cake Ingredients

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• Butter: A cake as sophisticated as this deserves quality ingredients. Buy the best butter brand you can find, like a European-style butter such as Plugra or Kerrygold. Between the high-quality milk and its high butterfat percentage, splurging on good butter will make all the difference in terms of flavor and texture.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cake. Don’t replace it with brown sugar, as the molasses and caramel notes will clash with matcha’s earthiness.
• Eggs: Baking with room temperature eggs allows for better batter emulsion, resulting in a tender, fluffy cake.
• Extracts: Both floral vanilla and nutty almond extracts complement matcha’s complex tasting notes.
• All-purpose flour: To keep this cake spongy and tender, measure the flour the right way using the scoop and level method.
• Matcha: Matcha, also known as green tea powder, is an extremely concentrated powder of finely ground green tea leaves. There are two different kinds of matcha to buy, and we recommend you purchase the highest quality one: ceremonial. More on that below.
• Baking powder: Baking powder helps fluff up the cake so it’s tall, soft and spongy.
• Buttermilk: Tangy buttermilk adds complexity to this cake. If you want to save a trip to the store, make a buttermilk substitute with items you may already have in your fridge or cabinets.
• Frosting: Our recipe for matcha cake is finished with homemade whipped cream. You’ll need heavy whipping cream, a bit of confectioners’ sugar and a touch of vanilla extract.
• Raspberries: Gently and carefully clean the berries to keep them intact, and to avoid making them soggy.

Directions

Step 1: Prep the pans

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two 8-inch round baking pans.

Step 2: Create the matcha cake batter

In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter until they’re light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla extract and almond extract until they’re well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, matcha, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating well after each addition.

Step 3: Bake the cakes

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Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool at room temperature in their pans for 10 to 15 minutes. Then remove the cakes from the pans and transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

Editor’s Tip: Before taking the cake layers out of the pans, I like to run a knife along the inside edge of the pans to ensure the cakes aren’t still stuck to them, which could cause the cakes to break. Also, before frosting the cakes, cut the domes off the layers so the finished cake is more stable and straight.

Step 4: Make the whipped cream frosting

In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the heavy whipping cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract on low speed. Once the mixture is just starting to thicken up, increase to medium-high speed and beat until stiff peaks form.

Step 5: Frost and serve the cake

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Spread the whipped cream frosting on top of one cake layer, then stack the unfrosted cake on top. Try to line the two up as best as you can so the cake can be strong and stable. Frost the top and sides of the layer cake. Slice the cake and serve it with fresh raspberries.

Editor’s Tip: If you find that a lot of cake crumbs are coming to the surface while frosting it, let this frosting layer be a crumb coat. Once your thin layer of frosting is on the cake and the crumbs have sealed, pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes, take the cake out, then spread on the final layer of frosting.

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Matcha Cake Variations

• Finish it with other fruits: Raspberries are spectacular with matcha desserts (which is why we love our raspberry matcha cake roll so much), but strawberries and cherries are nice, too. Feel free to switch it up!
• Use a different frosting: For something a little heavier than whipped cream, finish the cake with vanilla buttercream, raspberry frosting or blackberry buttercream.
• Add a filling: Skip the whipped cream frosting between the two cake layers and replace it with fresh strawberries or raspberries, lemon or yuzu curd, or a berry jam.

How to Store Matcha Cake

Store matcha cake in the fridge for up to four days. Keep it covered with a cake dome, mixing bowl or storage wrap so it doesn’t absorb lingering fridge smells. Whenever I have any cake leftovers, I like to press pieces of storage wrap against the cut sides of the cake to prevent the cake from drying out in the fridge. Before enjoying the cake again, allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Can you freeze matcha cake?

You can freeze the matcha cake layers, but it’s not recommended to freeze the frosted matcha cake. Whipped cream does not thaw well, and will turn gritty when defrosted.

To freeze the cake layers, allow them to cool completely to room temperature. Wrap each cake in two layers of storage wrap, then stash them in the freezer for a maximum of two months. Thaw the cake layers overnight in the fridge or on the counter for one hour.

Matcha Cake Tips

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What does matcha taste like?

Matcha is a beautifully complex-tasting ingredient. It has an earthy and grassy forwardness, with hints of sweetness, nuttiness and even a bit of citrus peppered throughout. Matcha pairs well with raspberries, strawberries, citrus fruits, yuzu, vanilla, white chocolate and anything that is creamy, like cheesecake, pastry cream, whipped cream or yogurt.

What kind of matcha should you buy for this matcha cake recipe?

The matcha you should buy for this matcha cake is ceremonial matcha. There are two different types of matcha: ceremonial and culinary grade. Ceremonial matcha is the highest quality and most expensive matcha. It has the most pronounced matcha flavor and brightest, most vibrant green that won’t discolor during baking. Culinary grade matcha is less expensive, but it isn’t as potent and can turn a bit brown during baking.

Can you bake this matcha cake in different sized pans?

Yes, you can bake matcha cake in pans other than 8-inch circular pans. Instead, use three 6-inch round cake pans or one 13×9-inch baking pan.