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Matcha Ogura Cake
Airy soft and cloud like fluffy Malaysian ogura cake with matcha flavor, bake in au bahn marie (water bath) method.
An ogura cake is a Malaysian cake with a fluffy and cloud-like texture. It is almost as soft, if not softer, than a chiffon cake. If you love chiffon cakes, you will love ogura cakes.
I am combining ogura cake with matcha (Japanese green tea powder) to create this recipe. I love desserts with matcha as I love the slight bitterness and the fresh tea flavor. If you are a matcha lover, I am sure you will love this cake.
This matcha ogura cake is my second ogura cake recipe. For cheese lovers, you will want to try my cheesy pillowy ogura cake, using cheddar and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients for Ogura Matcha Cake
- all-purpose flour
- cornstarch
- matcha (Japanese green tea powder)
- eggs
- neutral flavor oil, such as vegetable oil or canola oil
- milk
- sugar
- vinegar/lime juice/cream of tartar, to help stabilized whipped egg whites
All-purpose flour and cornstarch
I use a combination of all-purpose flour and cornstarch to lower the protein in the all-purpose flour. This combination has a similar protein content to cake flour.
TIPS: You can use 80 grams of cake flour instead of 65 grams of all-purpose flour plus 15 grams of cornstarch.
Matcha (Japanese green tea powder)
Matcha comes in two varieties, cooking grade and ceremonial grade. For baking and cooking purposes, cooking grade matcha from a good brand is good enough.
A tiny can of matcha is enough to bake plenty of cakes. Matcha gradually loses its vibrancy due to oxidation once you open the package. To make sure you get the most out of your matcha, I recommend buying a smaller quantity and using it as soon as you open the can.
Prep work for baking a matcha ogura cake
Preheat the oven to 320 Fahrenheit (160 Celsius).
Line an 8-inch square pan (8"x8"x2") with parchment paper.
Boil a kettle of water.
Prepare an empty baking tray such as a half-sheet pan, a 9"x13" pan, or a roasting pan.
The boiling water and the empty baking tray are necessary for baking the cake with a water-bath (bain-marie) method.
Baking a matcha ogura cake
1. Prepare egg yolk batter
Beat all-purpose flour, cornstarch, matcha, milk, oil, egg yolks, and one egg in a mixing bowl until thick and slightly pale.
2. Whisk egg whites
In another large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites with vinegar/lime juice/cream of tartar until foamy.
Add sugar in three batches and continue whisking until the egg whites reach a medium peak.
3. Matcha ogura batter
Fold egg white batter to the egg yolk batter with a whisk (or a spatula) in three batches. Be careful not to destroy the air bubbles.
4. Bake the cake
Pour the batter into the parchment-lined cake pan.
Place an empty baking sheet (a half-sheet pan/9"x13" pan/roasting pan) in the middle rack of the oven.
Place the square cake pan on the empty baking tray.
Pour boiling water from the kettle onto the baking tray (NOT your cake pan!) to fill about 1/2" of the baking tray.
TIPS: You must use boiling water, or the cake will not rise properly.
Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
Serving the cake
Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside to cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
Gently remove the cake from the pan by grabbing the parchment paper and placing it on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once the cake is cool to touch, cut it into 9-16 servings.
I usually serve the cake with hot tea or hot coffee. For matcha lovers, I think it is best to pair this cake with matcha tea or matcha latte.
Other matcha recipes to try
If you are wondering how to finish your matcha, why not give these recipes a try:
- matcha pound cake
- matcha chiffon cake
- matcha braided loaf
- matcha checkerboard shortbread
- matcha steamed buns
- matcha ice cream
- matcha latte float
- matcha kanten
Matcha Ogura Cake
Ingredients
- Egg yolk batter
- 65 gram all-purpose flour
- 15 gram cornstarch
- 20 gram matcha
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 egg
- Egg white batter
- 5 egg whites
- 100 gram sugar
- 1 teaspoon vinegar/lime juice, or 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 320 Fahrenheit (160 Celsius), boil a kettle of water, and line an 8"x8"x2" square cake pan with parchment paper.
- Egg yolk batter: Beat all-purpose flour, cornstarch, matcha, milk, oil, egg yolks, and one egg in a mixing bowl until thick and slightly pale.
- Egg white batter: In another large mixing bowl, whisk egg whites with vinegar/lime juice/cream of tartar until foamy. Add sugar in three batches and continue whisking until the egg whites reach a medium peak.
- Matcha batter: Fold egg white batter into the egg yolk batter with a whisk (or a spatula) in three batches. Be careful not to destroy the air bubbles. Pour the batter into the parchment-lined cake pan.
- Bain-marie set-up: Place an empty baking sheet (a half-sheet pan/9"x13" pan/roasting pan) in the middle rack of the oven. Place the square cake pan on the empty baking tray. Pour boiling water from the kettle onto the baking tray (NOT your cake pan!) to fill about 1/2 inch of the baking tray.
- Bake: Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
- Serve: Remove the cake from the oven and set it aside to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Gently remove the cake from the pan by grabbing the parchment paper and placing it on a wire rack to cool completely. Cut the cake into 9-16 servings.
Comments
Hi Anita. Where do you buy the matcha powder?
Hi Clarissa, in US, this one from Maeda (https://amzn.to/2N6lvM3) is quite commonly sold in most Asian market. It is also available online from Amazon if that is easier for you. :)
Hi Anita, can I use the same kind of matcha powder for your other dessert that using Matcha as the ingredients.
Definitely Clarissa. Feel free to use it in my other matcha recipes. In fact, it should work with almost all matcha recipes you find in other recipes (from books, internet, etc). It is only when you want to enjoy high quality grade matcha for tea ceremony (typically labelled with "ceremonial grade"), then you may want to look for something else. :) That said, be warned that matcha has a pretty short life-span once you open the packaging. I would suggest finishing the whole packet in 1 month, and definitely not more than 2 months, since oxidation degrades the matcha quality pretty fast.
It's delicious 💕
This cake turned out so tender and moist - I think thanks to cooking in the bain marie. I used a matcha that was more green and it was so pretty!
I am always looking for more ways to use matcha and this looks delicious.
I love matcha and I am SO excited to give this a try!
Yes, I love cooking with matcha but never tried this ogura cake before. It came out brilliantly - very good airy texture and not at all stodgy! Will definitely make this again! :)
Such a great way to use matcha in a dessert! Yum!
I just love anything matcha! I can't wait to try this cake recipe soon. :)
Great use of matcha and an amazing texture in the cake. I've seen them before but have never tried making one, not as hard as I thought.
This was so fun and unique! We can't wait to make again. Thank you!
We loved it! I love trying new things, especially sweet desserts, and this is just perfect. Will definitely be making this again!
Really good and worth the effort. It truly was like a cloud! We enjoyed a slice with matcha lattes as suggested. Yum!
Hi Anita, can’t wait to try this. I have tried several of your recipes and kept going back to find more recipes in your blog. As for the cornstarch, can we substitute with tapioca starch or glutinous rice flour at all? Thank you!
Hi Sylvia, unfortunately we can't use tapioca starch or glutinous rice flour for the cornstarch. If you can't find cornstarch, you can replace 65 gram all-purpose flour + 15 gram cornstarch with 80 gram cake flour.
Hi Anita! May I know for this step-Egg yolk batter: Beat all-purpose flour, cornstarch, matcha, milk, oil, egg yolks, and one egg in a mixing bowl until thick and slightly pale-Is this using a hand/stand mixer & if yes, to beat at which speed for about how long,ya? Pls advise. Thanks!
Hi Celine, I use a hand mixer and set it to high speed. As for the time, I don't usually set a time, but just keep on mixing until the batter looks right. You can also use a stand mixer, I'm using a hand mixer since I don't own a stand mixer at home. :)
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