Matcha chiffon cake is a green tea flavored, light and fluffy Japanese sponge cake. Chiffon cake recipes are very popular in Japan and in modern Chinese bakeries. I adapted my chiffon cake recipe to be easy to make with American baking tools and measurements.
Hello, friends! How are you doing? Good? Ready for cake? Well, you’re in luck. I seem to have developed a new matcha addiction since last year, and it just keeps fueling new recipes. I made this matcha chiffon cake as my birthday cake last December, actually, and it was too good not to share! The festive green color of this matcha cake really makes it a nice Christmas cake, don’t you think? Although, of course, I highly recommend enjoying it year round.
Anyway, if you’re well versed in chiffon cakes, feel free to skip down to the recipe below. Or read the text for some more details on Asian cakes, matcha, and baking tips!
What is Chiffon Cake?
If you’ve ever been to a modern Asian bakery, you might’ve noticed that their cakes are super soft, light, and fluffy – completely different from dense American butter cakes. You can these kinds of spongey layer cakes especially at Chinese and Taiwanese bakeries in America, usually frosted with whipped cream. In European baking terms, this kind of cake is called a chiffon cake. It’s made by beating egg whites to stiff peaks and folding it into your other cake ingredients. Unlike an angel food cake, chiffon cakes use egg yolks and other fats, usually oil, as well. This results in a super moist and super soft cake.
Chiffon cakes are also popular in Japan! They are frequently baked in tube pans, similar to angel food cake tins. However, Japan being Japan, their cake tins (and ovens) are smaller. I use a recipe adapted to work with standard American sized baking pans and measurements. In fact, it’s based off my Chinese grandma’s sponge cake recipe, if you want to check that out!
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a fine powder made by grinding shade-grown green tea leaves. Famously grown in Japan, it’s quite popular among various Asian countries. Unlike when you typically brew tea, where you would remove the leaves, when you use matcha you consume the powder itself. Therefore, matcha has a very strong tea flavor! Much stronger than when you are drinking brewed green tea. If you’re new to matcha, check out my Ultimate Guide to Matcha for more information!
Besides making drinks with matcha, it’s common to use the matcha powder to flavor baked goods and desserts. You can make matcha cookies, matcha ice cream, matcha cakes… matcha anything! The vibrant green color of matcha makes for really stunning culinary creations!
Which Matcha Should I Use for Baking Cakes?
Like with coffee, different blends of green tea leaves can create different flavor profiles of matcha. Some matcha blends are more light and sweet. Some are more bitter and savory. When it comes to choosing matcha, you should disregard the “culinary” or “ceremonial” labels and focus on what flavor you want. For baking sugar cookies, which are super sweet, I often use a more bitter matcha, such as Maeda-en Ceremonial Matcha. However, for this chiffon cake, which is only lightly sweetened, you can use a lighter tasting matcha that you might use for drinking, if you prefer. I actually quite enjoy the Trader Joe’s matcha, although they only come in single serve packets. Other matchas I like include Ippodo Tea’s Sayaka, which is rich but not bitter, and Hatsu, which is a light matcha.
Storing Matcha for Baking so it Doesn’t Oxidize
Did you know you’re supposed to use your matcha right away so it doesn’t oxidize and go bad? Yeah, it’s a little bit of a pain for when you have a specific matcha for baking and may not need it for weeks at a time. So here’s a PRO TIP: Store that matcha in the freezer! You can use it for baking straight from the freezer without defrosting. Seriously, it’s a life hack more bakers need to know.
By the way, if you want more recommendations on Asian grocery items that I use, I have a list of my favorites on my Amazon storefront!
Tips for Baking Chiffon Cakes
This recipe is really not too difficult! But there are a few places where things might go wrong:
1. Know How to Beat Egg Whites
Beating egg whites can sometimes be finnicky. Make sure your bowl and beater are totally clean, with no traces of egg yolk or lingering oil from past bakes. If you’re not familiar with the stages of egg whites (e.g. soft peaks, stiff peaks), go watch some Youtube videos so you know what you’re looking for!
2. Don’t Grease Your Baking Tin
Your cake needs to be able to grip the sides of the tin to achieve maximum height! Don’t use nonstick baking tins and don’t grease your tins.
3. Make Sure Your Cake is Fully Baked and Cool Upside Down
If your cake is not baked all the way through, you’ll get a lot of deflating at the end. When my grandma bakes this cake, she always lets the outsides of the cake actually form a light brown skin. If your cake is still very pale and looks very liquidy when jiggled, it’s not done. And, if possible, cool your cake on a wire rack upside down to minimize deflation while cooling.
Other than those tips, I think you shouldn’t have any problem with this recipe! If you’re making this as a Christmas cake, may I suggest a fine dusting a powdered sugar on the top, for a snowy effect? I also highly recommend serving this cake with dollops of whipped cream. Ugh. So good!
More Matcha Recipes
Wondering what to do with your leftover matcha? Check these recipes out:
Matcha Chiffon Cake (Green Tea Sponge Cake)
Equipment
- 10" angel food cake tin
Ingredients
- 7 eggs yolks and whites separated
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 1/2 cups sugar about 300g
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil about 120mL
- 1/2 cup water about 120mL
- 4 tsp matcha about 8g
- 1 tsp baking powder 4g
- 1 1/2 cup cake flour (can sub all purpose) 180g
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lower baking rack to accommodate your angel food cake tin.
- In a metal or glass bowl, beat egg whites until frothy. With the mixer still running, gradually pour in 1/2 cup sugar and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, beat egg yolks, water, remaining sugar, and oil. Set aside.
- Sift cake flour, matcha, and baking powder in another bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Mix dry ingredients into your yolk mixture.
- Gently fold your beaten egg whites into your batter.
- Pour into an ungreased angel food tin and bake for 40-50 minutes or until cooked through. The cake should spring back when lightly tapped (not sink).
- For best height, cool the cake in the tin turned upside down, but be careful of the cake falling out of the tin. Cake can be served and stored at room temperature.