Matcha Swiss Roll

Matcha Swiss Roll (抹茶ロールケーキ) is a Japanese traditional cake! It’s a Matcha flavored fluffy sponge cake, rolled up with whipped cream!

First time, I fell in love with Matcha whilst on holidays in Barcelona, one year before! We tasted Matcha Swiss Roll cake at 1 Michelin star restaurant @dospalillos (Fusion Asian dishes with tapas).

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Matcha is a Japanese green tea that is ground into a powder form. Did you know that, one cup of Matcha has as many nutritions as 10 cups of green tea? Here are 6 amazing health benefits of Matcha green tea.

Matcha contains a concentrated amount of antioxidants, which may reduce cell damage and prevent chronic disease.
Matcha could prevent liver damage and decrease the risk of liver disease. However, additional studies are needed to look at the effects on humans in the general population.
Matcha has been shown to improve attention, memory, and reaction time. It also contains caffeine and L-theanine, which can improve several aspects of brain function.
Test tube and animal studies have found that the compounds in matcha may inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Studies show that green tea and matcha can decrease several heart disease risk factors.
Some studies show that green tea extract helps increase metabolism and fat burning, both of which may aid weight loss.

There are many ways to prepare Matcha, so you can choose the one you like best. It can also be incorporated into a range of different recipes. HERE is our way:

Ingredients:

For the cake:

4 eggs (separated)
120 gr. all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 tablespoons Matcha (green tea powder)
100 gr. granulated sugar (separated)

For the whipped cream filling:

180 ml heavy cream (cold)
100 gr. caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon cream cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 190° C. Prepare a baking pan (38 cm x 25 cm) with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and matcha powder.Set aside.
Separate the egg yolks and whites into two bowls. Keep the egg whites in the refrigerator, and the egg yolk at room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk well the egg yolk, add 50 gr. of granulated sugar and mix until pale yellow and thick, about 2 minutes.
Remove the egg whites from the refrigerator. Whisk the egg whites with the remaining 50 gr. of granulated sugar with a mixer, until stiff peaks form.
Then, whisk in 1/3 of the egg whites to the egg yolk mixture until incorporated in the mixture.
Then add the mixture back into the egg whites. Gently fold in egg whites with a silicone spatula.
Add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and matcha powder) into the mixture and using the silicone spatula, fold in gently until just combined. NOT over-mixing! The texture should be light but not fluid like water; it should also be thick but slightly fluffy.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan.
Bake for 7-8 minutes to 190° C, until a toothpick comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake or the cake will be too dry and break when you roll.
Remove the cake from the oven and cut the edges of this and make it straight from all sides. Invert it onto a new parchment paper. Gently remove the parchment paper from the top. This side will be the exterior of the Matcha Swiss roll, so be gentle! Put a new parchment on top.Turn it upside down and starting from the shorter edge, roll the cake into to create a loose log. This shapes the cake without causing any cracks. Cover with kitchen towel and let it cool completely (until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes).
Meanwhile, make the whipped cream filling. In a cold bowl, whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form and add the cream cheese in the end. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.
When the cake roll is at room temperature, gently unroll it and evenly spread the whipped cream across its surface. Carefully but tightly re-roll the cake. The seam side should be on the bottom. Once you roll up the cake, secure the roll by twisting the parchment paper at both ends (like a candy wrapper). Refrigerate for about 2 hours to firm up the cream.
Remove it from the refrigerator and sprinkle Matcha powder over the top! Prepare your coffee or Matcha Latte and enjoy it!