Matcha Castella (Green Tea Cake)

Try making matcha castella (green tea cake) with this easy recipe! The light texture is achieved by mixing the batter until airy and baking slowly. Enjoy the delicious Japanese cake once it's ready!

Castella is a popular traditional Japanese sponge cake known for its moist and fluffy texture, rectangular shape, and beautiful brown top. It's enjoyed by people of all ages, from children to the elderly.

This recipe adds matcha powder to the traditional castella cake, enhancing its Japanese flavor. If you're a fan of matcha desserts, you're sure to love it!

This recipe is for you if:
• You love matcha and green tea.
• You love Japanese castella cake.
• You are looking for a matcha cake recipe.
• You want to make a Japanese castella cake.

All right, let me show you how to make it. If you want to check the recipe, please jump to the recipe card below. Let's get started!

Jump to:

• About this recipe
• What is Castella?
• 📋 Ingredients
• 🔪Instructions
• Helpful tips
• Storage
• Variations
• Thank you for stopping by
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

About this recipe

• Japanese green tea cake
• Use matcha powder
• Easy recipe with five ingredients.
• The total time: 50 minutes

What is Castella?

Castella cake (or kasutera cake) is a fluffy sponge cake that originated during the 16th century. It is made with simple ingredients such as eggs, sugar, flour, and honey or syrup. The batter is beaten for a long time to create a fluffy texture, then baked slowly.

Castella is often flavored with various ingredients such as green tea, cocoa powder, or fruit puree. It has a simple yet delicious flavor that has been loved by a lot of people in Japan for centuries.

📋 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below). This green tea cake needs only 5 ingredients (6 including water) with simple ingredients.

• Matcha - Green tea powder. We use matcha powder made from green tea only. Please note that some matcha powder contains sugar.
• Eggs - We use 3 eggs.
• Sugar - Any sugar is ok. I use cane sugar in this recipe. Kurozato (Japanese black sugar), which has a deep flavor, is also good.
• Wheat flour - You can use all-purpose flour, cake flour, bread flour, or rice flour (gluten-free).
• Honey
• Water

Matcha

Matcha is made by grinding down Tencha green tea leaves into an ultra-fine powder.

With its vibrant, bright green color and deep, earthy flavor, matcha has become an icon of traditional Japanese culture. Matcha has been beloved in Japanese tea ceremonies, but it is also widely used as an ingredient for desserts and cooking.

Matcha has different grades based on quality. Ceremonial grade matcha has a great flavor and is more expensive than culinary grade matcha powder because it is made from the highest quality tea leaves. While the ceremonial grade is used for traditional tea ceremonies, the culinary grade is a good choice for making matcha latte and dessert at an affordable price.

🔪Instructions

Let me walk you through the instructions. You can also watch the cooking video.

Set oven temperature to 180C/356F. Place parchment paper on a square cake pan (or loaf pan).

1. Put eggs and sugar in a large bowl, place it over a tray with a hot water bath (or a double boiler), and whip a hand mixer on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until the egg mixture reaches soft peaks.
2. Mix wet ingredients (honey and water) in a small bowl, add it to the large bowl, and whip on low speed until combined.
3. Add dry ingredients (flour and matcha) and stir with a spatula until it becomes a smooth batter.
4. Pour the cake batter into the cake pan, tap the pan a few times to break the air bubbles, and bake for 15 minutes at 180C/356F.
5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 160C/320F.
6. Wrap the cake with plastic wrap and leave for half a day (It will be more moist and tasty)

The matcha sponge cake is now ready to be served! Take a slice and savor every bite of this delightful sponge cake. Enjoy!

Helpful tips

• Let your eggs come to room temperature before using them in your cake batter because they blend more easily with the other ingredients.
• When baking, if the surface color is not brown enough, please extend the baking time until brown.
• You can eat the cake right away, but it will be more moist and tasty by leaving it for a half day.
• If you want a fluffy texture similar to chiffon cakes, beat the egg whites and egg yolks separately.

Storage

Once you cut it, put the slices in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

You can also freeze them. Wrap each piece in cling wrap and keep them in the freezer for one month. When eating, warm it in the microwave, and it will be fluffy again.

Variations

These variations sound delicious and are sure to add some unique flavors to your Castella cake. Enjoy!

• Plain Castella: Discard matcha powder
• Chocolate Castella: Add 1 tablespoon Cacao powder
• Strawberry Castella: Add 1 tablespoon strawberry puree
• Sweet Potato Castella: Add 1 tablespoon Japanese sweet potato puree

You can also add a little pure vanilla extract for extra flavor.

Thank you for stopping by

It's a fluffy and moist Japanese cake with a taste of matcha tea. Why don't you satisfy your sweet tooth by treating yourself to this delicious treat? I hope you like the recipe!

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe (or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!

Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!

More Matcha recipes you might like

• Vegan matcha pound cake
• Vegan matcha cookies
• Vagan matcha anko muffins
• Vegan matcha pudding
• Vegan matcha granola

📖 Recipe