Matcha Tea Cakes

No. You aren't seeing things. That IS green. It comes from matcha powder which is finely ground green tea. (So it's full of antioxidants and caffeine!)

I've recently been enjoying drinking matcha in Organic Avenue's Matcha Chia Glo. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I went to a paint your own pottery place and painted this:

Yes. Thank you. I'm very proud with how it turned out. To me it seemed to beg for some type of green dessert and I automatically thought about green tea.

I decided to top this cake in two different ways. First I made a light matcha frosting.

It wasn't green enough for me so I decided to sprinkle the powder on top of the cakes.

Definitely green enough! Almost Wicked Witch of the West green. :)

 

I brought these into work to share with coworkers. When I saw we had some sliced almonds in the office, I added some "flare" to the glazed cake and quickly snapped a photo with my iPhone.

Both versions are great but I think I enjoy the frosted version a tiny bit better because it's sweeter. Either way, the mixture of almond milk with matcha makes for a yummy afternoon treat. So, what do you think? Would you consider baking with this green powder?

Matcha Tea Cakes (adapted from my Mom's Best Recipes Book)

Ingredients for Sponge Cake:

2 eggs

1 C sugar

1/2 C almond milk

1 T butter

1 C flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

2 teaspoons matcha powder

Ingredients for Frosting (if you decide to frost the cakes):

almond milk (at least 4 ounces)

powdered sugar (at least 2 cups)

matcha powder (at least 4 Tablespoons)

 

Or just dust matcha powder on top of cakes.

Cake:

In a small saucepan, scald almond milk, turn off heat and add butter. In a mixer, beat eggs until light, add sugar and beat well. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the matcha powder. Stir in almond milk mixture. Bake in greased pan (8x8 inches) for about 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool well. Cut in narrow bars.

Frosting:

Frost sides and bottom with frosting made by mixing a little bit of powdered sugar and a little bit of thin almond milk at a time.  Add slivered almonds (or even roll in slivered almonds) if desired and enjoy.

Bake well and prosper!