Matcha Chiffon Cake

So it occurred to me a few months ago that it's been AGES since I've posted a recipe - not since October last year in fact. It's not that I don't cook often because we eat regularly at home and I do bake for people's birthdays and other special occasions, but sometimes I just can't be bothered styling the food and taking photos of it. I just want to eat it.

So I thought it was time to get my mojo back, and even though I still haven't quite got this food styling thing, it's nice to be able to share recipes and baking successes - so here is my first recipe post in over 6 months.

I've had a chiffon cake tin for years and always had the intention of making it, but the thought of flat and dense chiffon cakes had always scared me off making them. I don't know why I was so worried because after doing a bit of research and finding a recipe, I made my first chiffon cake with much success!

I chose matcha flavour because green tea is awesome and also because I'd just come back from Japan and was craving matcha desserts. The green tea flavour is quite subtle in this cake but what I particularly love about chiffon cakes is the light and airy texture which makes you feel like you're eating a cloud. A green tea flavoured cloud!

I used a recipe that I adapted from Keiko Ishida's book Okashi: Sweet Treats made with Love. The recipe calls for 5 eggs but uses a 20cm tin, so I have increased the amounts to fit my 25cm tin. This recipe worked really well for me and I've used it to also make a pandan flavoured chiffon cake and chocolate flavoured chiffon cake. Yep, there's definitely going to be plenty of chiffon in my future!

Matcha Chiffon Cake
Recipe makes one 25cm chiffon cake

98g plain flour
14g matcha powder
7 egg yolks
28g caster sugar
98g water
84g vegetable oil

Meringue
126g caster sugar
14g corn flour
7 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 170C (or 150C fan forced).

2. Sift flour and green tea powder together twice. Combine egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and mix well. Add water and oil and blend together. Add flour and green tea powder mixture and mix until batter becomes sticky. Set aside.

3. To make the meringue, combine sugar and corn flour. Beat egg whites until foamy. Add half the sugar and flour mixture to the egg whites and continue beating for a few minutes. Add remaining sugar and flour mixture and beat until egg whites are glossy and form stiff peaks.

4. Add one third of meringue to egg yolk mixture and fold in lightly, then add remaining meringue and fold to incorporate completely.

5. Pour batter into an ungreased 25cm chiffon cake tin. Place in the oven and bake for 60 minutes until cake is done (check with skewer).

6. When cake is done, remove from oven and turn the tin over. My tin has little feet that allows it to stand up by itself but you can also put upturn the tin over a bottle of wine by placing the bottle neck through the hole in the centre of the tine. Leave cake to cool in tin.

7. Once cake has cooled completely, carefully run a knife or spatula around the sides of the cake to loosen it before turning it out and serving. Store cake in an airtight container.