Saturday, December 3, 2011

Green Tea Chiffon Cake

This morning, I woke up to the Santa Ana Winds rattling my windows. I knew it was going to be a chilly, blustery day. As I walked downstairs, wrapped in my fuzzy blanket, I couldn't help but wander to my little baking cupboard. The first thing I saw was the last of my matcha green tea powder. After an ingredients check, I realized that I had plenty of eggs, but no butter. So what choice does a girl have but to make a chiffon cake, right? 

This chiffon cake is pillowy soft and not too sweet with just a wonderful balance of green tea flavor. My parents already inhaled a chunk of the cake. They're Asian, so anything that's overly sweet is definitely overly despised. Onwards to the process!

The starting line-up...


My wonderful scale, for all my delicate cakes and macarons.


First off, combine the flour, green tea powder, baking powder, and salt. Sift together in a bowl and set aside.


Next, combine the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk until pale.




I combined the water and oil in one cup, and then I added it into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time.


In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, mix the egg whites until foamy. Once it's foamy, slowly add the sugar. Whisk until stiff peaks form. Look at those stiff peaks!


Fold the egg whites into the wet ingredients in 3 installments. Fold gently.








Pour into an angel food cake pan and bake in a 340F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the cake.


Voila!



Ingredients
Part A
  • 6 egg yolks 
  • 80 g white sugar 
  • 200 g cake flour 
  • 2 tsp baking powder 
  • Pinch of salt 
  • 2 tbsp green tea powder
  • 100 ml vegetable oil 
  • 150 ml water 
Part B
  • 6 egg whites 
  • 80 g white sugar 
1. Sift together the flour, green tea powder, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale. Slowly add in the water and oil until all is combined.

3. Add the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Don't over-mix!

4. Using a stand/hand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk egg whites until foamy. Add sugar slowly. On medium speed, whip eggs to stiff peaks. 

5. Add the egg whites into the wet ingredients in 3 installments, folding gently until there are no more white streaks. 

6. Pour into a 10" tube pan and bake at 340F for about 45 minutes. 

7. Once the cake is done, take it out of the oven and turn it upside down so that the cake can maintain its volume. Cool completely.