Green Tea Mousse Cake

Last weekend I finally bought the ingredients for this matcha green tea mousse cake.  I couldn't find the match green tea powder in any of the local grocery stores, so I stopped by the Chinese supermarket, T&T for it.  This was my first time using green tea powder in a recipe, and I was thrilled by how great this came out.  Now I'm trying to explore different green tea desserts.  I've made green tea iced lattes and shakes, and I plan on baking a green tea chiffon cake later this month.

The mousse came out really smooth and creamy, and the jelly coating added a nice touch to the texture of this cake.  I actually had to redo this recipes twice since it is originally written in grams, and I don't own a scale.  So it took me some time to convert the measurements to cups and tablespoons, and the inexact measuring caused me to mess up quite often.  I was able to dig up enough money to buy a proper digital kitchen scale (a Soehnle), and it's supposed to come in next week, so I'm really excited.  With a scale, I'll be able to try out more foreign recipes, especially European desserts.

You don't have to garnish this cake.  You can just leave it as it is, and maybe sprinkle some extra green tea powder or even icing sugar.  I had extra whipped cream and fruits, so I just went ahead and decorated mine.


Green Tea Mousse Cake:
Adapted from kikaching888 Link

Chiffon Cake: (12 cm cake tin)

• 1 egg
• 20 g caster sugar
• 25g cake flour
• 15 mL oil (vegetable or canola)
• 20 mL water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Mousse:

• 100 mL whipped cream
• 100 mL milk (at least 2%)
• 100 g yogurt (try getting thicker yogurt, like Greek yogurt)
• 35 g honey
• 1 tbsp matcha green tea powder
• 1 tbsp gelatin
• 2 tbsp hot water

Jelly Topping:

• 1/2 tsp gelatin
• 2 tbsp hot water
• 1 tsp match green tea powder

1. Separate the egg yolk and the egg white into separate bowls.  Beat the egg white until it becomes foamy (about 2 min.), then add in 10g of the caster sugar.  Beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks.
1. TIP: You will know when the mixture is stiff if you can hold the bowl upside down and nothing falls out.
2. In the bowl with the egg yolk, add in the rest of the caster sugar (10g), water, oil, and the vanilla extract.  Sift in the cake flour.  Whisk all the ingredients together until you get a smooth, watery mixture.
3. Add the egg white mixture into the batter, and fold together gently until fully incorporated.  Pour the batter into the cake tin lined with parchment paper and tap the tin a few times against the counter.  Bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for approximately 25 minutes.  After it's done baking, let it cool upside down on a cooling rack.
4. In a saucepan under low heat, whisk together the milk, honey and green tea powder until fully dissolved.  Then pour it through a strainer into a medium-large bowl.  This will get rid of the lumps.  Place in the fridge to cool.
5. In another bowl, whisk the whipped cream until it forms medium-soft peaks.  Then carefully fold in the yogurt.
6. Add the whipped cream mixture into the cooled green tea mixture, and fold them together gently to make a smooth, creamy mixture.
7. Pour the gelatin in a small bowl, then add the hot water.  Mix until the gelatin fully dissolves.  Add this to the mousse mixture, and fold in gently.
8. Take your cake and cut it in half.  Then place one layer at the bottom of your moulding tin.  Add in half of the mousse mixture, and smooth it out evenly.  Then add in the second layer, and pat it gently on top.  Add in the rest of your mousse, and smooth it out evenly.
1. TIP: If your moulding tin has a bottom, tap the whole tin against the counter.
9. Wrap the tin in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
10. After you take the cake out, pour the gelatin in a small bowl and add the hot water.  Then add in the green tea powder.  Mix until fully dissolved.  Pour this on top of your cake, then rewrap it and leave it in the fridge for another hour.
11. If your moulding tin has a bottom, place the tin on top of the pan and push the sides of the mould downwards.  Your cake should come out cleanly.  If your mould does not have a bottom and you used a plate or cake board, simply slide the tin upwards, doing it slowly and gently so it won't break the mousse.
12. You can garnish your cake with whipped cream and fruits, or you can just sprinkle it with green tea powder or caster sugar.  Serve fresh.