White Chocolate & Matcha Cake with Matcha & White Chocolate Shards

This recipe for White Chocolate & Matcha Cake first appeared on The Culinary Jumble, and was published in November 2017. I have moved the recipe over and nothing has been changed, other than adding the option of using spelt flour. 

Like many households, we have a tradition whereby every birthday is celebrated with a cake. When my kids were small, we often cheated and bought a themed cake from the local supermarket. Now, the food blogger in me uses birthdays as an excuse to be a little extravagant. And why not?

I have to share that I am not always a natural baker. Some things (like bread) come a little easier,  but I quiver in fear sometimes when making layer cakes. I can’t frost well, and every time I pop a cake pan in the oven, I am plagued with self-doubt.

The decorating is often fairly spectacular on our family birthday cakes (it doesn’t come more OTT than my Chocolate Overload Cake). This one had to be even more special as it was in celebration of my oldest son becoming a teen. Imagine that. We have a teenager.

His request was simple – a white chocolate cake. Hands up, it was me who wanted to be all fancy pants and use matcha to colour the frosting and some white chocolate matcha swirled bark for good measure.

Using matcha in cakes

I love food in pretty hues but I’m not a fan of artificial food colouring (the only type we can seem to get in Sweden). Sometimes nature helps out with the vibrance, as seen in my blackberry curd. After the success of using matcha to colour my coconut and matcha layer cake, I wanted to see how well it fared in frosting. Oh, it was pretty. So much so that the photos really don’t do it justice.

I was a little concerned about how the matcha might affect the taste of the white chocolate frosting. However, although you can taste something a little different, you would never be able to put your finger on what it was. And when I say different, I don’t mean bad. One thing I did notice though, is that the taste of the matcha does intensify over time.

What’s a naked cake?

I’ve got to be honest and say that, despite my mature years, the term naked cake makes me giggle. I am actually sat here sniggering to myself as a write this. Okay, now that I’ve got that out of my system, the premise behind naked cakes is fairly new. The idea is to let the natural beauty of the cake to shine through, using only a smattering, or thin coat, of frosting. How much frosting you use (and where) is entirely up to you. They are very popular in cakes with several tiers, such as wedding cakes.

For me, naked cakes prevent that cloying, sickly feeling you get when eating too much frosting. The cake is fairly dense, and not too sweet either, so I could have wolfed down five slices of this cake in quick succession, without feeling sick. 

What are shards?

Chocolate shards, as the name suggests, are sharp, pointy bits of chocolate. If you’ve ever made thin chocolate bark, you will know how easy it is to break it up into shard-like pieces. The shards are used to decorate cakes. For this one, I used simple white chocolate bark, swirled some matcha through. It created a stunning finishing touch, which pulled the matcha theme together.

The cake is big enough to feed 10 or 12 people.

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White Chocolate & Matcha Cake with Matcha & White Chocolate Shards

Ingredients

Bark:

• 200g (7 oz) white chocolate
• 1 teaspoon matcha
• Sparkly decorations (optional)

Cake:

• 185g (6½ oz) white chocolate
• 113g (½ cup) butter (softened)
• 150g (¾ cup) sugar
• 4 eggs
• 250ml (1 cup) sour cream (see note 1)
• 250g (2 cups) flour (see note 2)
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt (if your butter is unsalted)
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or extract)

Frosting:

• 50g (¼ cup) butter
• 200g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) cream cheese
• 200g (7 oz) white chocolate
• 1 tablespoon matcha
• 150-250g (around 2 cups) icing sugar

Instructions

Bark:

• Melt the chocolate. Take out around 1-2 tablespoons of chocolate and put it in a separate bowl, mixing in the matcha powder. Set to one side.
• Using a palette knife, spread the other chocolate thinly over a large, flat baking tray lined with grease-proof (baking) paper, shaping it into a rough rectangular shape.
• Take the retained chocolate and matcha mixture and using a knife, swirl it through the chocolate you've already spread out. Sprinkle with decorations (if using) and then place in the fridge to set.

Cake:

• Pre-heat the oven to 175ºC (350ºF). Grease and line the bottoms of two 8 inch cake tins. Melt the white chocolate and set to one side.
• Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each egg. Add the melted chocolate and sour cream (gräddfil), and mix to evenly combine.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt (if using), baking powder and vanilla sugar. Gradually mix into the wet ingredients a bit at a time.
• Divide evenly between the two cake tins and bake for around 25-30 minutes until the tops bounce back when gently pushed and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for a while in their tins then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

• Melt the chocolate and set to one side. Beat the butter and cream cheese together until nice and smooth. Add the white chocolate and mix in. Combine the matcha with one cup (130g) of icing sugar and stir in to the wet ingredients. Continue to add more icing sugar until the frosting is sweetened to your personal taste.

Assembly:

• Place one cake top side down and spread around 1/4 of the frosting over the flat side. Place the other cake on top. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides. If you make it a "naked" cake like mine, you will have a little frosting left over.
• Snap the chocolate bark into shards (it helps if one edge is "sharp") and push through the frosting into the cake. Sprinkle with any other decoration you are using and place in the fridge to harden the frosting, allowing the the bark shards to stay in place. If you keep the cake in the fridge, remove it an hour or two before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

 

1. You can replace the sour cream with Greek yoghurt.
2. You can use spelt or regular flour for this recipe (just use the same amount).
    
   Disclaimer:
    
   I have converted grams to cups/ounces/tablespoons using online converters. Although I have no reason to believe they are inaccurate, please be aware that I have not made the recipe with imperial measurements.
    
   In addition, many ingredients are different in Europe compared to North America. I do all I can to offer possible alternatives and to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone. However, results cannot always be guaranteed if you have not used the same ingredients, measurements or methods as me.
    
   Lastly, I do everything I can to ensure that my recipes (and instructions) are accurate and easy to follow. However, I am human, and don't always get it right. If you notice anything strange, a mistake, or even a typo, please let me know in the comments.