Soft and Fluffy Green Tea / Matcha Chiffon Cake 抹茶シフォンケーキ

Are you a green tea person?

Green tea is the kind of tea leaves that have been made with minimal oxidation. For this reason, many claim that green tea consumption is beneficial to our health but non of these claims are generally proved with scientific investigation.

Green tea (抹茶 Matcha) is ubiquitous in Japan. Lately, it has become a trendy drink for everyone and in everywhere. Whether you are a Japanese or not, young or old, cold or warm, you can enjoy your green tea in any way that you want... And today, I'm enjoying it in the form of this chiffon cake.

Green Tea Chiffon Cake 抹茶シフォンケーキ

This matcha chiffon cake recipe originates from a Japanese book, Chiffon Cake Book by Junko Fukuda and the copy of this book that I have is actually translated in Chinese language.

If you search Google with the words "green tea chiffon cake", you will find the first hit to be this recipe from Just One Cookbook and it is mostly adapted from the recipe that I'm using today. So what are differences?

The recipe from JOC contains 3 large egg yolks, 3 large egg whites and 1 teaspoon of baking powder while the original Junko's recipe contains 3 large egg yolks (50g, accurately measured), 4 large egg whites (150g, accurately measured too) and no baking powder!

In fact, all the chiffon cake recipes in the Junko's book have about the same 50g egg yolk and 150g egg white composition. Would the no addition of baking powder or extra one egg white make any difference? Based on what I have seen in my ultra soft banana chiffon cake baking with no cream of tartar and one extra egg white, I would say that there will be difference and so I like to stick to the original recipe. However, I like to clarify the fact that I have not tried JOC recipe yet and can't really say which is better or not.

Like I have seen in my ultra soft banana chiffon cake, I'm sure that this chiffon cake with no baking powder or cream of tartar is less stable and not so pretty in its shape but the extra egg white makes it fluffier, softer and moister... Here, let's see.

This is the cooking matcha that I have used to bake this cake.

To start, this is how I prepared my egg yolk mixture.

I mixed the sifted dry ingredients into the egg yolk mixture and set it aside.

Next, I beat the egg white and sugar into stiff peaks.

And combine both egg yolk and egg white mixture together.

After 40 minutes of baking, the cake is cooked!

As this is pretty soft and fluffy, it can be structurally difficult to remove from its mould.

... and I don't mind because I really like its softness and sponginess.

Here's the recipe that I have used to bake my green tea chiffon cake.

It is mostly adapted from the book Chiffon Cake Book by Junko Fukuda. As it has to be translated from the Chinese version of my book, I have used the recipe from Just One Cookbook to incorporate the differences.

Makes one 17 cm or 15 cm (tall) chiffon cake
50g egg yolks, about 3 large*
40ml oil
70ml milk
80g cake flour
10g matcha (green tea powder)
150g egg whites, about 4 large*
70g caster sugar

* It is important to weigh the egg yolks and egg whites.

Preheat oven to 170°C or 330ºF or 150°C fan forced.

Using a hand whisk, combine egg yolks, oil and milk in a large bowl.

Sift cake flour and matcha together and fold into the egg yolk mixture until well combined with no lumps.

Using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium low speed for about 2-3 mins until foamy. Increase the mixer speed to medium. While beating, add sugar gradually and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.

Using a spatula or spoon, fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the flour mixture gently until the mixture is well combined. Then fold in the rest of the egg whites in 2-3 batches. Mix gently and thoroughly making sure that the batter is well combined.

Pour the mixture into an ungreased chiffon cake pan. Tap the pan a few times on the kitchen countertop to release the air bubbles.

Bake for 40 mins or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If the cake turn too dark in the last 10-15 mins, cover the top of cake loosely with a foil and continue to bake with the foil.

After baking, invert the cake immediately and allow it to cool completely before removing it from the pan. To unmould the cake, use a thin rubber knife or spatula to run around the cake.

Transfer cake onto a serving plate. Slice and serve.

Happy Baking
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