Matcha Chiffon Cake

As covered California puts it, I am experiencing a life changing event (for the better). An unexpected layoff is really a blessing in disguise for me. I am hopeful and motivated to move forward to new opportunities. And in the meantime, I can really do more of what I love - baking!

One thing that will never change is my love for chiffon cakes. Their fluffy light texture is so dreamy, and matcha is the perfect subtle flavor to pair this cake with. I like my chiffon cakes cut into slices and eaten plain. They are perfect on their own with a cuppa.

Christmas Crack (& failed creme brulee matcha cake)

Let's catch up on some of my last bakes in 2016, beginning with this highly addictive Christmas Crack! This is an ingenious and simple treat to make, and it's really customizable to your liking. I obviously went for a nutty version and topped it with almonds. A sprinkle of sea salt helped to balance and highlight the sweet toffee and chocolate really well!

The possibilities are endless (pistachios, pecans, pretzels, coconut, etc), and I highly recommend trying them out if you haven't. Top it with pink sprinkles and gift them to your valentines this year!

Christmas Crack (a.k.a. Saltine Toffee)
recipe adapted from Dessert for Two
makes about 24 pieces

24 saltine crackers
1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
5 Tbsp (71g) unsalted butter
1 cup (180g) chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (70g) almonds, chopped
sea salt, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line quarter sheet pan with parchment paper or foil.
2. Line up one layer of saltine crackers on the pan, leaving no space between crackers. (If using salted saltine, place salted side down)
3. In a pot, add butter and brown sugar and heat on medium-high heat until boiling. Continue boiling for 3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and immediately pour brown sugar mixture evenly over crackers.
5. Bake for about 5 minutes until toffee is boiling all over.
6. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over toffee. Let them sit for a minute until they are melted.With a knife, spread chocolate evenly over toffee.
7. Sprinkled chopped almonds and sea salt if using over the top of the chocolate.
8. Refrigerate for 20 minutes to set.
9. Break or cut into pieces and serve.

Chop up some almonds or nuts of your choice.

Chop up a bar of chocolate.

Bring sugar and butter to a boil.

Line your crackers.

Pour the boiling sugar/butter mixture over crackers.

Bake for 5 minutes until sugar bubbles and hardens.

Sprinkle chopped chocolate on top.

Let it sit for a minute and spread evenly.

Top with nuts.

Set and break it into pieces.

Chewy and crisp - Enjoy!

Matcha White Chocolate Almond Biscotti

Matcha White Chocolate Almond Biscotti
recipe adapted from A Cozy Kitchen

makes about 16 pieces

1 3/4 cup (219 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (55 g) granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 Tbsp matcha powder
1/8 tsp Kosher salt
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/4 cup white chocolate chips 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheet with parchment and set aside.

2. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, matcha, and salt.
3. In another medium bowl, beat eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. 

4. Add flour mixture, in a few batches, stirring after each batch until the dough comes together. Dough should be moist. 

5. Stir in almonds and white chocolate chips.
6. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 or 6 times.
7. With floured hands, roll dough into a log approximately 12 inches long, flattening the top slightly.
8. Transfer log to baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 22 to 25 minutes. 

9. Remove log from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle.
10. Reduce oven temperature to 275°F. Transfer cooled logs to a cutting board and slice them on the diagonal into 1/2-inch thick slices using a serrated knife. 

11. Lay cookies cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake again until the biscotti are lightly toasted, about 15 to 20 minutes. 

12. Using tongs, turn cookies over and bake until slightly dry, about 15 to 20 more minutes. 

13. Cool.

Who doesn't love a crisp cookie to go with their favorite holiday drinks? Make biscotti this season and enjoy it during your afternoon tea/coffee time or gift them away as the cutest pressies. My first of many biscotti bakes this time of the year features matcha, almonds, and white chocolate chips. I love matcha and absolutely love how the matcha shines through and pairs perfectly with the sweet white chocolate.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Love the mild sweetness and the subtle bitter note of matcha.
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
Light and crisp!

Matcha Souffle Cheesecake

Matcha Souffle Cheesecake
recipe adapted from The Wandering Eater

makes one 6" cake

1 oz (25 g) butter
4 oz (125 g) cream cheese
1.5 oz (50 mL) milk 

1 oz (30 g) cake flour
0.5 oz (10 g) cornstarch
2 tsp + 1/4 tsp matcha
1/8 teaspoon salt 

2.8 oz (50 g) granulated sugar *increase if you prefer it to be sweeter
3 large eggs, separated
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Combine butter, cream cheese and milk over double boiler.

Add yolks, whisk, and sift in dry ingredients.

Whisk.

Beat whites to soft peak.

Gently fold whites into cheese mixture.

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare springform pan by lining the inside of pan with parchment paper on the bottom and up the sides and wrapping the outside with aluminum foil.
2. Place butter, cream cheese and milk in a bowl over double boiler. Stirring occasionally with a whisk so it melts and blends uniformly. When it's lump free, remove from heat, and set aside to cool.
3. Add egg yolks and whisk until blended.
4. Sift in cake flour, cornstarch, matcha powder, and salt. Fold until combined.
5. In a separate clean bowl, beat together egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Continue beating while slowly adding in sugar and increasing speed. Beat until soft peaks foam.
6. Fold one-third of the egg white mixture to the cream cheese mixture until combined. Add the remaining egg whites to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold until there are no streaks left.
7. Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Place pan into a deeper pan with hot water going up about 1 inch of springform. Bake in water bath for about 1 hour until set and golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean (a few crumbs is fine, as long as the tester is dry). 

8. Cool the cake for 15 minutes on a wire rack, then remove the sides of the pan. Carefully remove strips of parchment paper. Let cake cool to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving, preferably overnight.

Cake so fluffy I die couldn't stop poking it. The original recipe is by weight which made it convenient to halve. I like how the smaller 6" came out tall and fluffy, and smaller cakes are just instantly cuter. Exercise has also been lacking in my life, so portion control is in need.

The sides of the pan were lined initially, but as you see in the photo above only parts of it remained. The batter sneakily seeped outside the paper, so I decided to remove it to not end up with paper baked into my cake. 

Cake turned out well and did not shrink at all. There's a small crack on top, but nothing a small dusting of matcha or powder sugar can't cover. It adds charm, so I left it as is. 

Taste: 4 stars out of 5

Lightly sweetened, mild cheese taste and subtle matcha flavor. Matcha can be stronger next time; a dusting on top could be nice.

Texture: 3.5 stars out of 5

More velvety and creamy than expected. Personally prefer a bit more spongy texture.

Matcha Tofu Mousse Cake

No bake.
Serve chilled.
Asian flavor.
Healthy-ish (with tofu).

This was a tasty birthday cake for my brother's 28th last week. It was well received by the most harsh critics aka family. The sweetness was just right for my diabetic mom, and the matcha flavor was present without being bitter or unpleasant for my matcha- sensitive dad.

Exactly 7 years ago, on my brother's 21st, was when I attempted my first ever mousse cake. It was a matcha red bean mousse (see picture below)! How ambitious was I to make two flavors for my first cake? From what I remembered, the cake tasted decent. Maybe a bit sweet and a bit thin.. but hey! It was my first cake. It's amazing to see how far I've come in this baking journey.

Matcha Tofu Mousse Cake
recipe adapted from My Vitasoy
makes one 6" or 8" cake

Crust:

80g graham cracker crust
40g unsalted butter, melted

Matcha Mousse:

1/3 cup silken tofu, pureed
2 Tbsp matcha powder
1/4 cup soymilk
4 Tbsp (84g) honey
1 Tbsp gelatin
2 yolks
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp sugar

matcha powder, to dust on top

crust: added some grounded pecans to make up 80g

puree the tofu

super smooth tofu!

mix tofu with matcha powder

wait till matcha mixture is cooled before folding in cream!

pour into pan

and smooth top!

1. Mix together graham cracker crust and melted butter. Press down evenly on the bottom of a 6" lined pan. Set aside in freezer or optional- bake crust at 325F for 8-10 mins until lightly toasted and fragrant.
2. In small saucepan, bring soymilk and honey to a boil. Turn heat down to medium, add gelatin and stir till dissolved.
3. In bowl with yolks, whisk in a little bit of the hot liquid to temper. Pour egg mixture back into soymilk and cook on medium heat for 30 seconds to 1 minute or until mixture coats the back of a spoon. Strain into a bowl. Set aside to cool.
4. Whisk together pureed tofu and matcha powder until lump free.
5. Whisk tofu mixture with egg mixture until smooth. Set aside.
6. Whisk together heavy cream and sugar on high until stiff peaks.
7. Gently fold whipped cream into matcha mixture.
8. Pour mixture on top of prepared crust. Smooth top with spatula and lightly tap pan on table to make sure there are no gaps on the edges.
9. Refrigerate for 4-5 hours or until mousse sets.

after chilling

nice smooth edges!

This cake will become one of my staples for sure. Note to self: remember to wait till matcha mixture is cooled before folding in the cream. My cake could've been fluffier.. maybe. 

Taste: 5 stars out of 5

Prominent matcha flavor; sweetness just right. Maybe add a pinch of salt to crust next time!

Texture: 5 stars out of 5

Light, fluffy, and smooth mousse; crust could be more crisp.

Matcha Granola

Happy February! My goal for this month is to eat healthy and in moderation until NOLA! It's going to be tough because there's Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day happening. Let's try to focus on family and love instead of yummy food and sweets? Haha.

I am already thinking about making a Banoffee Pie though. Maybe I can even it out with another figurerobics session.


For this week's breakfast, I got berries and matcha granola topped greek yogurt.
(and for lunch, quinoa kale salad with a lemony dressing)

Matcha Granola
recipe adapted from Peaceful Cuisine
makes about 4 cups

150g oats
60g liquid sweetener (maple syrup)
30g coconut oil, melted
75g nuts (chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, sliced almonds)
15g toasted sesame seeds
1 Tbsp (10g) chia seeds
1 Tbsp matcha powder
65g dried fruits (dried blueberries)

Mix dry ingredients and whisk wet ingredients.

Combine everything together.

Spread in an even layer and bake.

Make sure to stir or rotate pan so you don't end up with uneven browning like mine.

1. COMBINE: In large bowl, combine oats, liquid sweetener, melted coconut oil, nuts, seeds and matcha powder.
2. BAKE: Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then spread granola mixture out in an even layer. Bake at 350F, gently stirring at 15 minutes, until the granola is golden-brown and dry, 30 minutes.
3. MIX: Remove from oven and mix in dried fruits.
4. COOL: Let cool completely and transfer to jar to store.

Recipe yields about 3 mason jars.

Love the big chunks.

Also came upon this guide on how to make granola using a basic ratio from Epicurious. It seems simple and super flexible to customize to anyone's liking.

1. Start with 6 parts dry to 1 part wet
- dry: 3 parts oats, 1 part nuts, 1 part seeds, and 1 part anything
- wet: 1 part oil, 1 part liquid sweetener/egg white
2. Season to taste with cinnamon/vanilla extract/cardamom/nutmeg/salt
3. Bake at 300F, gently stirring every 15 minutes, until granola is golden-brown and dry, 40 to 45 minutes.
4. Stir dried fruit into hot granola.  Let cool completely before storing.

Taste: 5 stars out of 5
Lightly sweetened and pairs well with plain greek yogurt. Subtle matcha flavor and lovely toasted nutty aroma.
Texture: 5 stars out of 5
Crispy!

Add berries/fruits on top to make it even more nutritious!