This beautiful layer cake with vanilla and matcha flavors will be perfect for a special occasion!

Matcha Vanilla Layer Cake_WTbis

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Today, I’m honored to host the French culinary challenge called Bataille Food to celebrate its 1 year existence. To celebrate the event, I launched the following theme: layer cakes in the mood for Spring! Well, believe it or not, it was actually my very first layer cake in my entire life! Well it appeared that it was a little bit more complicated than I thought at first (I know my boyfriend would say that I’m just too much too demanding and hard to please, which is kind of true but not only). I must admit I also wanted to create this recipe from scratch, which requires some experimentations before coming up with a great recipe!

However, the funny thing is that my very first challenge in this recipe dealt with baking powder. Of course, I had already baked the three base cakes when I realized that they didn’t rise at all. While I was wondering about the wrong thing I had done in my recipe, my boyfriend just asked innocently wether the baking powder hadn’t passed its expiration date. I checked straight away: damn it, it had expired! Did this ever happen to you? It was my first experience with an expired baking powder and I wisely skiped the tips and tricks we might find on the web and ran to the closest store to buy some instead. Luckily enough, my second try with the cakes using new baking powder worked pretty well!

Matcha Vanilla Layer Cake_WTbis

Then, the second difficulty I had to face was the matcha mousse. I tasted matcha tea very recently and I had the idea to use it in my layer cake (because I like this natural green color and was intrigued by the taste). I whipped up a first matcha mousse which tasted absolutely divine, but not thick enough for the recipe. You see, the mousse has to bear the weight of all the layer cakes and as a result, be firm enough. So I kept this amazing matcha mousse recipe for later to enjoy as it is and developed a new one. Don’t get me wrong, I was not so calm alone in my kitchen trying again new experimentations after my failures twice the same day (note to myself: write down these stories straight away in my article next time it happens, it makes them funnier than they actually were)! And again, after my second try, my matcha mousse had the right consistency and I succeeded in my challenge to not use any gelatin!

Third difficulty for this layer cake… well the frosting you might think? Well no, this frosting is impossible to fail, the recipe was perfect! However, it’s relevant to say that patience and time are a must when baking a layer cake. I wanted three layers, so you can still skip a layer if you want to spent a bit less time. But I’m sure that next time I’ll bake this recipe I’ll spent max 2 hours baking (including the cooking time for the cakes): challenge accepted!

In the end, all these difficulties I had to face in my layer cake challenge made me appreciate the cake even more: I found it beautiful and tasty (matcha and vanilla are a perfect duo) and was proud of my creation!

While I had this beautiful layer cake in front of me, I suddenly remembered that today was my beloved cousin Anne-Sophie’s birthday! I wish her all the best on this occasion and I’m sending a virtually piece of cake!

Matcha Vanilla Layer Cake_WTbis

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Matcha Vanilla Layer Cake

Matcha Vanilla Layer Cake_WTbis
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  • Author: Delphine Fortin
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 22 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 52 mins
  • Yield: 8-10 1x
  • Category: Cakes and Pies
  • Cuisine: American recipes

This beautiful layer cake with vanilla and matcha flavors will be perfect for a special occasion!

Email me this recipe

We’ll send it straight to your inbox, along with weekly food inspiration!

Ingredients

Scale

For the matcha mousse:

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup (100g) confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 cup (225g) cream cheese
  • 1 teaspoon (5-10g) matcha tea
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch of salt

For the cake:

  • 3 1/4 cups (400g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 cup (230g) butter
  • 1 3/4 cups (350g) granulated sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup (125g) greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cups (360ml) milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 vanilla bean (+seeds)

For the vanilla frosting:

  • 1 cup (225g) cream cheese, softened at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 2 cups + 1 Tablespoon (420g) confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch of salt

For decoration:

  • 2/3 cup (100g) raspberries
  • pistachios

Instructions

  1. For the matcha mousse: whisk the yolk with confectioner’s sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl until you get a smooth texture. Add cream cheese and matcha tea and whisk vigorously. In another bowl, beat the egg white with a pinch of salt with a stand mixer until it forms stiff peaks, then carefully fold in into the matcha batter. Allow to cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
  2. For the cake: preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 3 round baking pans, 7 x 2 inches each. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Melt the butter and place in a medium bowl. Vigorously whisk in the granulated sugar, then the eggs, yogurt, milk, vanilla extract, and vanilla seeds until combined. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix.
  3. Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes, making sure to loosely cover the cakes with aluminium foil halfway through to prevent the tops from getting too brown. You can assume that the cakes are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.
  4. For the frosting: using a handled or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on medium speed until no lumps remain, about 3 full minutes. Add confectionner’s sugar, 1 tablespoon cream, vanilla extract and salt, with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes.
  5. To assemble the cake, trim the domed tops of the cakes with a large serrated knife. Place 1 layer on a plate or cake stand. With an offset spatula, spread the top with half of the matcha mousse, then repeat with the second layer and the rest of the matcha mousse. Place the third layer on top and spread the frosting evenly on the top and sides of the cake. There may be some frosting left over, depending on how thick you pile it on. Decorate with raspberries and pistachios and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Cakes, Spring

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