The Japanese green tea powder, matcha, is packed with health benefits. Green Tea is rich in chlorophyll for detoxification and renowned for cancer fighting Cathechin EGCg, a type of antioxidant that is only found in green tea. It also contains L-theanine, an amino acid known to relax the mind. Besides all the added health benefits, I love to make desserts with matcha. The combination of sweetness and matcha’s earthy notes are a perfect synthesis.
So, I was already a convert when Catty of TheCattyLife announced Matcha Madness—a new recipe challenge. I quickly had a long list of recipes, and finally decided on a one that would both maximize and compliment the tea’s flavor—the Matcha Dacquoise Cake. It has matcha white chocolate cake layers with creamy matcha filling, plus layers of crunchy dacquoise for textural contrast. This is all encased in a rich bittersweet chocolate frosting. This four-step cake took a bit of planning but the result is worth the effort.
1. Preheat oven at 350℉ with rack in the middle position. Spray a 12×17 half-sheet pan with cooking spray and lined with parchment.. Spray the parchment, set aside.
2. Sift together flour, matcha, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
3. Place white chocolate in a glass bowl and melt either in microwave at 50 percent power, one minute at a time, or over simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly.
4. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter and 1-1/4 cups sugar on medium high speed until light and creamy. Scraped down sides of bowl, add approximately 3 tablespoons of butter mixture to white chocolate and stir to combine. Add white chocolate to the butter mixture in mixing bowl and beat until combined, about 30 seconds.
5. Add egg yolks to mixer and beat at medium-low speed to combine. Beat in vanilla. On low speed, add one third of flour mixture until combine, add half of the milk and continue to beat until combined. Repeat until you finish with the last third of flour mixture. Finish last bit of mixing by hand to avoid over beating.
6. In a separate bowl, stand mixer or by hand, whisk eggs whites on medium speed to for soft peaks. Slowly add remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and whisk until it forms glossy stiff peaks. Add one-quarter of the egg whites to cake batter and stir to lighten. Gently fold in remaining egg whites.
7. Pour batter into prepared pan. Using an off-set spatula, spread and smooth batter evenly over entire pan. Bake for 15 minutes, rotate pan from front to back and bake for another 10- 15 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Remove pan from oven and let cool on rack for 15 minutes.
8. Spray the back of another half-sheet pan and line with parchment. Invert cake onto this pan and remove the original pan, peel parchment and let cool completely. Trim cake to get even edges. Cut cake crosswise into three equal pieces.
1. Add cream cheese and butter into stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes.
2. Stop mixing and add 1-1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar into mixing bowl. Beat on low speed until absorbed, about 30 seconds. Stop mixing and add remaining sugar. Beat on low speed for another 30 seconds. Add matcha powder, vanilla and salt. Beat on medium speed until combined, light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. Use immediately or place filling in a medium bowl and refrigerate until needed.
1. Preheat oven at 200℉ with rack in the middle position. Spray half-sheet pan with cooking spray and line with parchment. Spray parchment with cooking spray and coat pan with flour. Set aside.
2. Sift together AP flour, almond flour, 1/4 cup superfine sugar, set aside. In a stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed to soft peaks. Turn speed to mediumSlowly add the remaining 1/4 cup of superfine sugar, a little bit at a time. Once you have added all the sugar, turn speed up to medium high again and beat to stiff peaks. Gently fold in flour/almond mixture until just combined. Spread batter onto prepared pan, about 1/4 inch thick. (It won’t cover the entire pan)
3. Bake for 2 hours, then turn off the oven. Leave the pan in the oven for 30-40 minutes.
4. Using a serrated knife, gently cut two pieces of dacquoise to match the matcha cake layer.
1. Place chocolate, espresso powder in food processor with metal blade. Bring cream, corn syrup and salt to a boil in small saucepan or microwave; stir to combined.
2. With food processor running, slowly add the cream mixture through feeding tube; process until smooth, about 45 seconds. Scrape bowl down and add sugar and vanilla, process until combined, about 30 seconds.
3. With machine running, add butter one piece at a time; process until smooth with no visible butter streaks remain, about 1 minute.
4. Transfer frosting to a bowl, let stand at room temperature to cool and thicken, about 30 minutes.
1. Place one matcha cake layer on a serving platter. Tuck strips of parchment around the edges of the layer. This will protect your platter from messy frosting.
2. Using an off-set spatula, spread one quarter of the matcha filling evenly on cake layer. Top with a layer of dacquoise. Spread another quarter of the filling evenly on dacquoise. Repeat until the cake is top with matcha cake layer.
3. Spread chocolate frosting evenly on all sides of cake. Sift additional matcha powder on top of cake.
Notes
1. Dacquoise will loose it’s crunch if cake is assemble too far ahead. Best to assemble maximum of 4-6 hours ahead.
2. Each component can be done ahead of time and store in refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let chocolate frosting soften at room temperature before frosting the cake.
