Matcha Marble Tea Cake
This tea cake is not too sweet and dense like a pound cake. It’s very moist and marbled with a matcha flavored batter and sour cream batter. The sliced matcha pound cake is pretty with contrasting colors.
I recently was given a huge tub of sour cream. So, this weekend, the theme for my baking was desserts that required sour cream. I normally don’t eat sour cream and don’t particularly care for the taste, but I love sour cream in desserts. Sour cream can create super moist cakes.
A while back I made this matcha marble tea cake which I really enjoyed. However, the matcha powder I used ended up turning brown in the baking process. I’ve been wanting to go back to the recipe, but haven’t had a chance until now.
The cake is moist, a bit on the dense side, and not too sweet, thanks to the green tea powder. It tastes similar to a pound cake and I used matcha powder by Maeda-en, which has a brilliant bright green color and holds up quite well in baking.
This matcha pound cake is definitely worth trying if you want a cake that is not too sweet and has a pretty presentation.
Ingredients
- Softened unsalted butter
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Sour cream
- Matcha powder
- Vanilla extract
Recipe Steps
Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and mix in the eggs one at a time. Mix in the dry ingredients in 3 batches, alternating with the sour cream. Add vanilla, and mix for one minute.
Portion out 1/3 of the batter into a small bowl and add the matcha powder. Stir until the color is uniform.
Spread one-third of the plain batter into a prepared 9×5” loaf pan. Use a small offset spatula to smooth the batter into an even layer. Drop spoonfuls of the matcha batter and use a spatula to gently spread it into an even layer.
Spread another third of the plain batter on top, followed by another third of the matcha batter. Repeat one more time so that the final layer is the rest of the matcha batter. Run a thin knife through the batter to create a marbled effect. Smooth the surface of the batter with the spatula.
Bake the cake at 350°F for 50 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes. Lift the cake out and allow it to cool completely on the rack.
I love the marble look of this cake. This is a perfect cake to eat with some tea. If you’re looking for more matcha recipes, my Matcha Green Tea Yogurt Cakes are so easy to make and another favorite recipe.
More Matcha Cakes
Matcha Green Tea Marble Tea Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1 tbsp matcha powder
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 9 x 5 loaf pan with foil.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with sour cream. Add vanilla, and mix 1 minute.
- Portion out 1/3 of the batter into a small bowl. Mix in matcha powder, stirring well to combine.
- Spread one-third of the plain batter into prepared pan. Use a small offset spatchula to ensure an even, flat layer. Dollop with 1/3 of matcha batter and use a spatchula to gently spread the matcha layer on the top of the other. Spread another third of the plain batter on top, followed by another third of the matcha batter. Repeat one more time so that the final layer is the rest of the matcha batter. Run a thin knife through batter to marbleize. Run spatchula over top to ensure the batter is flat in the end.
- Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire cooking rack for a few minutes. Lift cake out and allow to cool completely on rack.
Decided to give your recipe a spin—I just thought I’d share a quick comment to mention how delicious and beautiful it was! 🙂 I posted about my experience with it here (https://tempuratails.blogspot.hk/2012/06/green-tea-marble-cake.html) and also thought to link back to your site!
Thanks again for the recipe!
Pingback: Layered matcha loaf | Thyme Bombe
i loooove the colour! and the addition of the sour cream which ensures the cake is never dry! yummm – they do look one the ones from the asian bakeries too! good stuff!
I love the green color too! Love everything green =) I made this once with an inferior green tea powder and it came out brown when it baked. But this time I used a higher quality green tea and it made such a difference
YUM i love all things matcha
Me too =) And this cake tastes really similar to ones I’ve had at Asian bakeries too.
These blog is really very fantastic in all these there are so many things which is great. I used matcha powder by Maeda-en, which has a brilliant bright green color which usually holds up quite well in baking.