Fluffy Matcha Chiffon Cake

Learn how to make a fluffy Matcha Chiffon Cake for your tea time！
This Matcha Chiffon cake is sponge-like, moist and light as air.The aroma of high-quality
Matcha powder and the wonderful bitterness will harmonize with sweetness to captivate
you. 
If you top chiffon cake with whipped cream or sweet bean paste, it will be a luxurious sweet.It's so fluffy and delicious that you'll probably eat too much!

Even those who think chiffon cake is difficult will surely be able to bake a delicious chiffon cake.Try this recipe.It will be one of your proud recipes.
Please check the 3 point of for chiffon cake in the end of the recipe befor you cooking.

How to Make Fluffy Matcha Chiffon Cake 

<preparation>

1. Keep the eggs whites in a stand mixer bowl; refrigerate or freeze the bowl and egg whites for15 minutes until cold. (It's okay if the egg whites are partially frozen). Tip: In Japan, we chill the eggwhites to make smooth, fine-textured meringue and do not use cream of tartar. 

2. Preheat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF(15ºC). You will need a 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. 

3. Note：Chiffon Cake Pan:

＜To Mix the Batter＞

1. Sift together the cake flour, baking powder and matcha powder.

2. Start mixing the batter. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and one-third of the sugar with a hand whisk. Whisk vigorously until it's a creamy pale yellow color.

3. Then, add the oil and water and beat with a whisk to combine.

4. To a flour sifter or fine-mesh sieve, add the cake flour, matcha, and baking powder. Sift one-third of this　flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk by hand to incorporate the dry ingredients well. Check　that there are no lumps in the batter, then sift another one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl. Mix to incorporate. Then, sift in the rest of the flour mixture and whisk until just combined; do not overmix.

5. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter. Set aside while you beat the meringue.

<To Make the Meringue>

1. Take out the bowl of egg whites from the refrigerator or freezer. Set the bowl on the stand mixer with a whisk attachment (I used the KitchenAid Professional Series). Start whipping the egg whites on medium-low speed (Speed 4) until the egg whites are bubbly, opaque, and foamy. 

2. Add another one-third of the sugar and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Then, increase the mixer speed to high (Speed 10) and gradually add the remaining sugar in small increments. Beat vigorously until stiff peaks form (see the next step for how to check). It takes about 2 minutes of beating at high speed to reach stiff peaks. Tip: I usually pause beating when the egg whites are almost done. Take off the whisk attachment from the mixer and use it to hand-mix the looser egg whites near the bowl's edge into the stiffer whites near the center until it's all homogenous in texture. Then, put the whisk back on and continue beating.

3. To check for stiff peaks, pull up your whisk. The meringue in the bowl or on the whisk should be firm enough to hold a peak, pointing straight up (or maybe folding over a little bit just at the very tips). By this time, the meringue should have a glossy texture, too. Tip: If you overbeat the meringue, it will become very stiff and grainy and won't incorporate into the batter at all.

＜To Fold In the Meringue＞

1. Using a spatula or hand whisk, add one-third of the meringue into the batter. Mix well by hand until it's homogeneous. 

2. Gently fold in the rest of the meringue in 2 or 3 increments. Take care not to deflate the air bubbles in the meringue and batter as you fold. Once it's well combined and homogenous, fold the batter one last time and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there is no matcha accumulation. The final batter should fall in ribbons when you lift the spatula or whisk.

＜To Bake＞

1. Prepare an ungreased 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. From 6-8 inches high, pour the batter into the pan at just one spot to prevent air pockets from forming. While holding the removable base in place, gently tap the pan a few times on the work surface to release any air pockets in the batter. Run a wooden skewer through the batter to release any remaining air pockets.

2. Put the cake pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 340ºF (170ºC) for 30 minutes. To check if it's finished baking, insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, it's done. Tip: If the top of the cake gets dark too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning. (The cake may be too close to the heat source.) 

3. Remove the cake pan from the oven and gently drop the pan onto the work surface to shock the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking. To cool the cake, prepare a tall, heavy bottle with a long neck, such as a glass wine bottle. Invert the center tube of the cake pan onto the bottle's neck and let the cake cool completely in its pan. Cooling the cake upside down helps it stretch downward and maintain its loft. 

4. Once the cake is completely cool, run a long offset spatula around the outer edge of the pan and a small offset spatula around the inner tube. Gently take out the removable base and cake from the outer pan. Then, run the offset spatula along the bottom of the cake to release it from the base. Tip: I used to use a knife for this step, but the tip of the knife tends to poke the cake while moving around, so I now recommend using offset spatulas.

5. Invert the cake with the removable base onto a plate or cake stand. The cake will slide off the inner tube. Chiffon cake is served “upside down” with the flat bottom on top.

<3point for chiffon cake>

3 points for making chiffon cake
Here are some tips for making a fluffy and voluminous chiffon cake.
If you keep the basics down, you won't fail!

Point 1. Making a solid meringue
If you add the whole amount of sugar to the egg whites from the beginning, it will inhibit the foaming.
I can't make a solid meringue because the volume doesn't come out.
When adding sugar to egg whites, add it in three batches.
You should also pay attention to the temperature at which egg whites are whipped.
If you use egg whites at room temperature, they will foam well, but the bubbles will easily collapse and become coarse meringue.

I recommend cooling the egg whites in the refrigerator until just before making meringue.

Point 2. How to mix egg yolk dough and meringue
Egg yolk dough and meringue don't swell cleanly even if they are mixed too much or not. Let's add meringue in two separate batches.
When the first meringue is added, mix the yolk dough and meringue thoroughly with a whisk.
For the second time, be careful not to crush the meringue and mix it too much.
Mix it with your wrists back as if you were passing the dough through a whisk, and eventually transfer it to a rubber spatula to make it shiny!

Point 3. Turn it upside down as soon as it's cooked and let it cool down
Chiffon cake is a very light dough, so if you leave it as it is, the swollen dough will wither. Also, be careful because freshly baked dough has a lot of moisture, and if you don't cool it well, the shape will easily collapse!
Let's turn it upside down and cool it down right away.

＜Arrange＞

You can enjoy the  Matcha Chiffon Cake as is, but you may dust the top with confectioners' sugar, if you'd like (optional). 
If you top chiffon cake with whipped cream or sweet bean paste, it will be a luxurious sweet. It's so fluffy and delicious that you'll probably eat too much!

＜To Store＞

I strongly recommend consuming the cake sooner for the best freshness. However, you can keep the cake covered on a plate or stand at room temperature in a cooler place for 1-2 days. To keep it longer, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.

＜Notes＞

The recipe was adapted from　Matcha House　VERDE.

Correct storage for the very best flavor ! 

To maintain the quality of Japanese Matcha and Green tea, it must be stored where it cannot come into contact with moisture or sunlight.
heat or aromas, and should be used quickly after opening(2-3weeks).
When storing, place in a non-transparent sealed container and store in a cool, dark location. When storing in the refrigerator, make sure it does not come into contact with the aromas of other foods.

　For baking, we recommend using 「Organic Matcha for Sweets & Bake 100g」 as it colors well even when baked. 

For Grade 1 or 2 high-grade matcha powder, the matcha flavor is strong but the color may not be as good compared to  「Organic Matcha for Sweets & Bake 100g」