Perfect matcha pound cake
Pound cake is always a great gift. It does not need to be in the freezer or refrigerator, is not as fragile as cookies, and won’t melt like chocolate. In this recipe, I used ceremonial grade matcha, not culinary grade matcha, so the cake color came out really beautiful. I also added cooked black beans and candied chestnuts for this matcha pound cake. However, they are only optional.
Different grade of matcha powder
Matcha was originally served as a ceremonial beverage during the traditional tea ceremony in Japan. Matcha powder is now used for a variety of recipes, such as ice cream, smoothies, latte, etc. Most of these recipes use a culinary grade of matcha which is more reasonably priced. So, I normally don’t use the more expensive ceremonial grade matcha for my recipes. If your particular taste is more delicate and requires a more full aroma and more color particularly for drinks, the ceremonial grade may be preferred.
My favorite matcha powders
I have a list of matcha I prefer to buy for cooking or baking. Please check this list if you are interested.
“BEST 8 MATCHA FOR DRINKING AND BAKING”
I am quite picky about matcha since I worked at the Japanese Tea House in New York. Different matcha companies gave us matcha samples, I tested them a lot. When I order some matcha latte at a local cafe, sometimes I receive a really pale color of matcha latte. I bet they are using low-grade matcha, or store their matcha not properly. If the matcha latte costs more than $5, which is not that impressive. However, for cooking, especially a recipe which requires heat, the low grade of matcha is perfectly fine.
How to keep matcha powder?
Matcha powder is really delicate ingredient. So please make sure to keep them at a suitable temperature and location. I normally keep my matcha powder in the refrigerator or freezer. Matcha color and flavor are ruins by light and temperature. Most importantly, you have to store your matcha in an air-tight container. Oxygen is the number one threat for matcha.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (6 oz/ 170g) of unsalted butter
- ½ cup (100g) of sugar
- 2 tablespoons (43g) of inverted sugar (or honey)
- 3 (150g) of whole egg (room temperature)
- 1 cup (140g) of cake flour
- 5 teaspoons (9g) of matcha powder
- ½ teaspoons(2g) of baking powder
[Syrup]
- ½ cup (120g) Simple syrup (sugar : water = 1 : 1)
- ¼ cup (60g) of rum
[Decorations]
- candied black beans
- chestnuts
- White chocolate
Instructions
- Cut parchment paper to cover the bottom and side of the loaf mold, then place in the pan.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F/ 175 °C. Strain flour, matcha powder, and baking powder together.
- Mix simple syrup and rum to make rum syrup.
- Beat butter in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add sugar and invert sugar, and keep beating.
- In another bowl, beat all eggs. Add the ¼ of egg mixture into the butter mixture(4) beat well. Repeat until all the eggs are mixed in.
- Add the (2) dry ingredients. Mix them by the whisk. Make sure everything is well combined.
- Add candid black beans and chestnuts, and hold them in by spatula.
- Pour batter into the prepared pan, and smooth the top with a rubber spatula.
- Drop the oven temperature to 325 °F/ 160 °C. Bake them for 45 to 50 minutes. Check to make sure the cake is cooked by sticking a toothpick in the center. The toothpick should come out clean.
- While the cake is hot, brush the (3) rum syrup on the top of the cake.
- Let cool in the pan on a rack for 30 min then wrap them and put them in a refrigerator overnight.
- Decorate with melted white chocolate and candid black beans.
