Matcha Loaf Cake

Recipe:

Ingredient Notes:

• Butter: For this cake, use unsalted butter with a fat content of 72% or higher. I advise against substituting it with vegetable oil; it will negatively impact the texture and richness of the cake crumb. Ensure your butter is softened to room temperature for easier creaming.
• Matcha Powder: This is Japanese green tea in powder form, and it’s absolutely essential for the unique flavor and vibrant green color of this cake. Unfortunately, there is no suitable substitute. If you want to bake this cake, you’ll need to find quality matcha powder in specialty tea shops or from online retailers.
• Flour: Use standard all-purpose flour for this recipe. Aim for a protein content of around 10%, which is typical for all-purpose flour in many regions, as it provides the right structure for the cake.
• Almonds: For this recipe, you have a choice: you can finely grind whole raw almonds yourself or use ready-made almond flour (sometimes called almond meal). Substitute at a 1 to 1 ratio by weight. You can use whole almonds with or without their skins; the only difference will be in the final color of the cake (unblanched almonds will make the cake slightly darker). This won’t affect the delicious flavor.
• Sliced Almonds: These are often used for decoration or added texture. If you don’t have pre-sliced almonds, you can easily make your own by thinly slicing whole almonds with a sharp knife.
• Sugar: Standard white granulated sugar is needed for this recipe. Using finer granulated sugar is recommended, as it dissolves more easily and quickly into the batter, resulting in a smoother texture.
• Eggs: You’ll need medium-sized eggs for this cake, typically weighing around 50-55g each. For the best results and a lighter texture, I highly recommend ensuring your eggs are at room temperature before you begin mixing.
• Sour Cream: The fat content of the sour cream isn’t critical for this recipe, so feel free to use what you have (standard or full-fat is fine; avoid fat-free if possible). As a good substitute, you can use plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt (preferably full-fat, without additives).
• Vanilla: I used homemade vanilla extract, which I love, but store-bought vanilla extract works perfectly well too. As an alternative, you can substitute with vanilla sugar. If using vanilla sugar, use 1 teaspoon of it to replace the extract.

Let’s start cooking.

Make the vanilla batter. Cream together the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat again.

Add half of the flour sifted with baking soda and baking powder and mix until smooth. Add the sour cream and mix, then add the remaining flour and mix again.

For the matcha batter, finely grind the almonds.

Cream butter with sugar. Add the egg and beat again.

Add the almond flour and mix.

Add half of the all-purpose flour sifted with the matcha powder, baking soda and baking powder and mix. Add the sour cream and mix, then add the remaining flour and mix again.

Pour the vanilla batter into a greased loaf pan (I use 2 small ones) and top with the matcha batter. Use a chopstick to reach to the bottom of the pan and make swirls by lightly mixing the two batters together.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (355°F) for 35-45 minutes, until the inserted wooden skewer comes out dry.

Remove the finished cake from the pan and cool on a rack.

While the cake cools, prepare the lemon glaze. Whisk powdered sugar, gradually adding lemon juice.

Pour the glaze over the cake and sprinkle with sliced almonds. Allow the icing to dry, then slice and serve the cake.

Enjoy!

This Matcha Loaf Cake recipe was checked, prepared and approved by Chef Tatyana Nazaruk - author of FlavorIt.com.
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