Matcha layer cake with white chocolate cream
White chocolate and matcha are a match made in dessert heaven. The key is to use couverture white chocolate – it’s not as sweet as other white chocolates and is much easier to handle to boot. Win-win.
Prep time 25 mins, cook 35 mins (plus cooling, setting)
Serves 10-12
160 gm softened butter, plus extra for greasing 400 gm caster sugar
180 ml vegetable oil
6 eggs
185 ml ( 3/ cup) milk
4
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
30 gm matcha powder, sieved, plus extra to serve
450 gm (3 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
3½ tsp baking powder
White chocolate cream
300 ml thickened cream
1 titanium-strength gelatine leaf, softened
in cold water for 5 minutes
400 gm couverture white chocolate, finely
chopped
300 gm crème fraîche
1 Preheat oven to 160C. Butter two 22cmdiameter cake tins, line bases with baking paper and dust sides with flour. Beat butter, sugar and oil in an electric mixer until pale (2-3 minutes), then add eggs one at a time, beating well between additions. Gradually beat in milk, then vanilla and matcha. Sieve in flour and baking powder, stir to combine, then divide among cake tins, smooth tops, and bake until risen and centres spring back when lightly pressed (25-30 minutes). Cool in tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
2 For white chocolate cream, bring 100ml cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, then remove from heat. Squeeze excess water from gelatine and stir into cream. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stir into gelatine mixture to combine and set aside to cool briefly. Whisk crème fraîche and remaining cream in a bowl to soft peaks, fold into chocolate mixture and refrigerate until starting to firm up (30 minutes to 1 hour).
3 To assemble, trim tops of cakes flush. Place one cake on a serving plate base-side down, spread top with white chocolate cream to about 5mm thick and refrigerate until cream is firm (20-30 minutes). Top with remaining cake, base-side up, spread remaining white chocolate cream over top and sides of cake and refrigerate to firm (30 minutes). Serve dusted with extra matcha.