Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

Looks like this is a bundt-filled weekend! They happen just sometimes. I try not to stand in their way.

I’ve always wanted to try a recipe using matcha. I drink green tea daily at work (when I’m not downing some coffee) and my affection for green tea ice cream is boundless. Matcha baked goods was a logical step for me to take next.

Bakerella’s Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake seemed like a good option to start with. The combination of green tea flavour and chocolate had serious potential and the recipe seemed straightforward enough.

Now I just needed some matcha.

Easier said than done on a lazy Sunday. It was one of those days where traveling far for a single ingredient sounded tedious and unnecessary to my sleepy mindset. Luckily, we live a 5-10 minute walk from a QFC grocery store so not all was lost. I gave them a call and after being put on hold for about 3 minutes, they confirmed that yes, they did in fact have matcha. In no time I was there and back, tea tin in hand, bundt cake on my mind.

Then I cracked open the tin.

Despite clear imagery of matcha powder on the label, there were tea bags inside. They were filled with some matcha, yes, but mostly green tea leaves.

I had no idea if the recipe would still work with half matcha, half tea leaves, suspecting that it would just make for a gritty texture and that the green tea flavour wouldn’t be distributed through the batter properly. However, I had just walked to and from the grocery store when in a foggy brained Sunday mood. I had to do something with this tea I “worked” so hard for.

So I made the bundt cake anyway.

The matcha half of the batter was… disconcerting. Instead of a beautifully vibrant green, it was cream colour with a green tinge… and littered with green tea leaves.

It looked more like tzatziki sauce or dill chip dip than cake batter.

But I had gone too far now. How could I not put this in the oven? At least to see what would happen?

The final product smelled wonderful, but the green tea parts still looked a little unusual. Trevor described it as looking like zucchini bread which made me feel a little better.. but not totally.

Then we ate it.

If you are a particular fan of green tea, I would highly recommend this modification. Is it as pretty as the pure matcha version? Not even close. Does it have a deliciously bold green tea flavour? Absolutely.

My concerns about a peculiar texture from the leaves was completely unfounded as the cake was moist and tender. According to Bakerella, the green tea can be hard to taste against the strong flavour of chocolate in the original recipe. Here, the green tea portions held their own quite well.

I love a happy accident.

Adapted from Bakerella

Chocolate Mixture

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Matcha Mixture

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 9 teabags (approx. 3 tbsp.) green tea leaf & matcha powder combined tea, cut open so contents are loose. (I used Republic of Tea – Double Green Matcha Tea)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1 3/4 cup milk, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease and flour (or cocoa) a 10 or 12 cup Bundt pan. (If using a 10-cup pan, you can reserve any extra batter for cupcakes.)
3. With a wire whisk, mix the dry ingredients for the chocolate mixture in a small bowl and set aside.
4. In another small bowl, do the same for the matcha mixture.
5. Using a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, milk and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.
6. Divide the creamed mixture evenly in two separate bowls.
7. Slowly add the chocolate mixture to one half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
8. Then, add the matcha mixture to the other half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.
9. Drop alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into the bundt pan until it’s about 3/4 full.
10. For a marbled effect, gently run a knife through the two batters in a swirling motion. (Once or twice will do the trick.)
11. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

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