Matcha Honey Chiffon Cake
I turned the big 2-0 yesterday! Boy, how time flies. I know half of you out there are rolling your eyes at me and telling me to save that line for when I’m a few decades older, and the other half of you are rolling your eyes at me because I still act like a teenager most of the time. Even so, changing the first decimal place of your age is still quite an occasion in my book. To celebrate, I invited a number of my friends on campus over for games and cake.
Quoting my friend Renyao, “only you and the twins (referring to Crystal and Felicia) would ever bake your own birthday cake.” He’s probably right, and completing this cake did require a touch of insanity, mostly due to an unfortunate incident that happened after I had crossed the point of no return in the cake making process.
It goes something like this: Everything was fine and dandy on just another one of my anti-social baking nights. All of the cake ingredients were measured out and scattered across my limited counter space. The oven was preheated and the eggs were separated. I plugged in my hand mixer ready to begin the routine process of whipping egg whites, flicked the power switch and *gasp*. My mixer was dead. In semi-desperation, I frantically tried plugging the mixer into four different outlets around the apartment. No luck. *sigh* I rolled up my sleeves, grabbed my slightly deformed whisk, blasted bad pop music in the background, and prepared for battle.
Let’s just say it took me over half an hour just to bring the egg whites to the soft peak stage. Whipping the frosting the next day took another good 10 minutes. I got an arm-workout in, that’s for sure. At least I had a whisk. Apparently my friend Gene once muscled through whipping egg whites with just a bowl and a fork. Poor guy. Just to be clear, I would definitely recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer for the whisking steps in this recipe if you have one!
Fortunately, all of my hard work paid off in the end. The cake was undeniably delicious, if I do say so myself. If a lake of green tea evaporated into a cloud and you flew up into the sky with a jet pack to take a bite of the green tea cloud, it would probably taste like this cake. The texture is fluffy, cottony soft, yet rich and melt-in-your-mouth. The delicate flavor of green tea resonates in every bite. The cool creamy tang of the crème fraiche frosting and the sweet and tart freshness of the kiwi complements the flavors the cake. It’s not overly sweet, so you can eat a large slice without getting a sugar headache. As my friend Donna said, “It’s the best cake I’ve ever eaten, and I don’t even like cake.” Thanks Donna, I’m definitely flattered.
I just have a few tips for the adventurous bakers willing to try out the recipe. Separate the eggs right out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before whipping the egg whites. It’s easier to separate cold eggs, and room temperature egg whites will whip higher than cold egg whites. If you’re using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, be very careful not to over whip the egg whites. The whites should look glossy and hold gentle peaks when you lift the mixer. It’s not possible to un-whip egg whites! Keep this in mind and stop the mixer frequently to check the status quo of the egg whites. You probably don’t have to worry about this if you’re whipping by hand…
Use a mild flavored honey such as clover or orange blossom for the recipe. You don’t want it to overpower the matcha powder. When folding the egg whites into the batter, a good technique is to use a spatula to cut through the center of the batter and fold, using your left hand to rotate the bowl. DON’T grease the pan. This is essential so that the chiffon cake can “climb” up the sides of the pan and rise properly. Put your angel food cake pan on top of a cookie sheet just in case it leaks. My pan tends to leak a little but it’s probably because it’s not of very good quality. Make sure that the kiwi you’re using is ripe. Ripe kiwi will give in slightly to the touch and smell fragrant. A vegetable peeler is an excellent tool for quick and safe removal of kiwi skin.
Overall, this is a fairly straightforward recipe and is not at all difficult to make if you have the right tools. (Like a hand mixer? Bingo!) For its simplicity, this is quite an impressive looking (and tasting) cake. It’s great both at room temperature and from the refrigerator. The cake will stay soft even when it’s cold because of the unsaturated fat in the oil. Please let me know if you do try it out and give me feedback on the recipe! I’d love to hear from you. Happy munching!
Matcha Honey Chiffon Cake
Serves 16-18
Very loosely adapted from Joy of Baking
Ingredients:
For the cake:
2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour (225 grams)
1 tbsp. baking powder
¾ tsp. salt
1 tbsp. matcha powder*
1 cup superfine sugar, divided**
7 large eggs, separated, room temperature
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ cup neutral flavored oil
¼ cup honey
½ cup unsweetened almond milk***
For the whipped crème fraiche frosting:
2 cups crème fraiche****
2 tbsps. honey
1 tsp. matcha powder*
For decorating:
1 lb. fresh kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 tbsp. honey + 1 tsp. water
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, salt, matcha powder, and ½ cup of the sugar in a medium bowl. Sift the mixture into a large bowl.
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks, oil, honey, and almond milk until well combined. Add the mixture to the dry mixture and whisk until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Fold in the egg whites in three additions, being gentle to avoid deflating the batter. Continue folding until no steaks remain in the batter.
Pour the batter into an ungreased angel food cake pan with a removable bottom. Bake in the preheated oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Invert the cake and place it on an inverted bowl, so that it is suspended. Let it cool completely upside down, about 2 hours.
Run a butter knife around the inside of the tube pan and the center core. Push out the bottom piece of the angel food cake pan and run the knife around the bottom of the pan and invert the cake onto a wire rack lined with parchment paper. Cut the cake into two layers.
To make the frosting, whisk the crème fraiche in a large bowl until it holds soft peaks. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tsp. matcha powder until evenly combined.
To assemble, place the wider layer of cake onto a serving a dish, cut side up. Spread half of the frosting evenly over it and arrange half of the kiwi slices on top. Carefully place the other layer on top, cut side down. Spread the remaining frosting over it and decorate with the remaining kiwi slices.
To make a glaze, microwave the remaining 1 tbsp. of honey with 1 tsp. of water for about 8 seconds and stir to combine. Brush top of the cake with the glaze. Slice and serve.
Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
*Matcha powder is finely milled young green tea and can be purchased at most Asian Supermarkets as well as online.
**You can make your own superfine sugar by pulsing regular sugar in a food processor until finely ground
***Dairy milk, soy milk, hemp milk, lite coconut milk, and water are all acceptable substitutes.
****You can also make your own crème fraiche by stirring together 2 cups of heavy cream and 2 tbsps. of buttermilk or yogurt (with active cultures), loosely covering the mixture, and letting it sit at room temperature for about 24 hours. Give the mixture vigorous stir before storing it in the refrigerator for up to a week.
