Matcha Pound Cake

5 from 3 votes

A delicious twist on a classic dessert! Matcha pound cake swirls together warm vanilla notes with earthy green tea to create one irresistible bite. Enjoy a slice of this cake with a cup of coffee or tea for a delightful treat.

Yield: 9x5-inch loaf

Prep Time15

Cook Time45

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Japanese

Servings: slices

Author: Maryanne Cabrera

Ingredients

2 Tbsp matcha powder* (10 g)
¼ cup milk, warmed to 110°
½ cup unsalted butter (113 g) softened
1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
3 large eggs, room temp
1 ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ cup all-purpose flour (195 g)
½ cup cake flour (60 g)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup sour cream (180 g) room temp

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, along paper overhang to extend along the two long sides. Generously grease lined pan with butter. Set aside.
Sift matcha powder into a medium bowl. Pour in hot milk. Whisk until mixture is smooth and matcha powder has dissolved. Set aside and allow to cool.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric hand mixer), cream butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth and pale, about 3 minutes.
Mixing on low speed, add eggs one at a time until thoroughly incorporated. Add vanilla. Scrape down sides of the bowl as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
In a large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, cake flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. On low speed, add dry mixture to wet batter in three additions, alternating with the sour cream. Mix just until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour.
Divide batter in half. Add dissolved matcha to one bowl. Fold until matcha has been throughly incorporated into batter.
Alternate adding dollops of vanilla batter and matcha batter into the prepared loaf pan. When finished, use a mini offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth the top of the batter into an even layer.
Bake for about 45-55 minutes until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Unmold loaf and continue to cool to room temperature on wire rack. Slice room temperature cake with a serrated knife.

Notes

Ingredient Notes:

Matcha powder comes in a wide range of quality, color, and taste. For best results, use bright green matcha powder.
Make sure to use 100% matcha powder. DO NOT use matcha powder mix which contains sugar or milk powder.
Any milk will do: whole milk, low-fat milk, almond milk, soy milk, etc.
Mixture of all-purpose flour and cake flour creates a tender cake with a soft crumb. If you don't have cake flour, simply sub in more all-purpose flour.

Mixing Notes:

Make sure to use room temperature, softened butter. This will allow for easier mixing and creaming with the sugar.
Be careful not to overmix batter. This will toughen the texture.

Other Baking Vessel Options:

Can be baked in an 8x4-inch pan or 8.5x4.5 inch pan.
Double the recipe to use a 10-cup bundt cake pan or tube pan. Butter and flour cake pan. Decrease oven temperature to 325°F and bake for 60-70 minutes until cake springs back to the touch and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Storage & Leftovers:

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, keep tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature.
For longer storage, keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before eating.

Nutrition