Green Tea Opera Cake


I love finding ways to bake with green tea powder called matcha in Japanese. Matcha does have a bitter taste but it matches well with many sweets such as white chocolate and fresh cream. Also, you don't need to use heaping teaspoons of it in recipes but just enough for a balanced flavor. This recipe has several steps but it is a great dessert to impress your friends.

By the way, this cake goes great with coffee. You don't need to worry that the matcha and coffee don't match, the sweetness of the chocolate is the dominate flavor in this dessert.
 

Cake is served

Recipe
Matcha Sponge Cake
80 grams powdered sugar
100 grams almond flour
30 grams flour
3 eggs
20 grams butter (melted)
130 grams egg white (about 4 eggs)
60 grams sugar
12 grams Matcha green tea powder 
Cake:
1. In a bowl, measure & whisk together the green tea powder and flour.
2. In another bowl, mix eggs, almond flour, and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until yellow and fluffy.
3. In another bowl, make a meringue with egg whites and sugar. Add the sugar in portions and mix with a hand mixer. Then add the flour/matcha mixture and mix with a spatula.
4.  Add the one third of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture and mix with a spatula then add remaining mixture. Add a small amount of the mixture to the butter and mix then add back to the bowl and mix together.
5. Bake in 2 cake pans (20 cm x 20 cm). Bake the mixture in the oven at 190ºC for 12 - 15 minutes

Matcha Cream
140 grams fresh cream
190  grams white chocolate chopped
1 teaspoon of Matcha green tea powder
3 grams gelatin softened

1. Boil the cream and the matcha powder and mix well to fully integrate the powder. Add the softened gelatin.  Add to the chocolate and mix with a whisk until fully melted. Cool until the consistency of pudding.

Chocolate Cream
200 g fresh cream
140 g of dark chocolate chopped
3 grams gelatin softened
1.    Boil the cream & add the gelatin.  Add to the chocolate and mix with a whisk until fully melted. Cool until the consistency of pudding.
Putting Together:
1.  I use a Stainless Steel Square Cake and Pastry Ring (12 cm x 12 cm) to make this cake.  First, cut a sheet of oven paper and put under the square pastry ring and place both on top of a plate the same size or larger. Cut the cake to fit inside the square and place at the bottom.
2. The process the is to layer the two chocolates and cake as below. The chocolate should be spread in a even layer using a palette knife.
-          Sponge cake
-          White chocolate cream (1/2 portion)
-          Chocolate cream (1/2 portion)
-          Sponge cake (same size as first cake)
-          White chocolate cream (1/2 portion)
-          Chocolate cream (1/2 portion)
Put in the refrigerator while making the last topping below.
Milk chocolate topping:
100 grams milk chocolate chopped
50 grams fresh cream
2 gram gelatin softened

1.    Boil the cream & add the gelatin.  Add to the chocolate and mix with a whisk until fully melted. Cool lightly.
2. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and spread the milk chocolate topping on top using a palette knife to spread evenly.
3. Put in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour before removing from the square. To remove the square, you can use a palette knife around the inside the ring to loosen the cake. Or use a baking torch to lightly heat outside the square to melt the chocolate clinging to the square. Be careful when using the baking torch !!

Kathy
0 Comments