Matcha chiffon cake

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Preheat the oven to 160°C with a rack in the middle, and have a clean, dry 18 cm tube pan ready, with no greasing or lining. Matcha loses its color easily at high heat, so baking at a moderate temperature helps the cake keep its green hue. The oven is ready when the preheat light has switched off and you've waited a few more minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Warm 60 g whole milk over low heat, sift in 8 g matcha powder and whisk quickly with a small whisk until dissolved. Sifting matcha into warm milk keeps it from clumping and helps the tea aroma bloom. The mixture is ready when it's smooth, an even deep green and has no powder floating on top.

   Low heat.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Whisk 72 g egg yolks with 15 g granulated sugar and a pinch of salt, add 40 g vegetable oil, then pour in the matcha milk and stir well. The yolks bind the oil and milk together, keeping the crumb soft without being greasy. The mixture is ready when it's a bright green, slightly thick and has no streaks of oil on the surface.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Sift 70 g cake flour into the matcha mixture and stir in a Z pattern until the flour has just disappeared. Stirring back and forth instead of in circles keeps the batter from turning tough and gummy. The batter is ready when it's smooth, slightly thick and falls from the whisk in an unbroken ribbon.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Beat 150 g cold egg whites with 1 g cream of tartar until large bubbles appear, then add 60 g superfine sugar in three additions while beating on medium-high speed. Cold egg whites foam more slowly but give a finer, sturdier structure, which suits a small pan well. The meringue is ready when it's glossy and smooth, doesn't slide when you turn the bowl upside down and the peak curls like a bird's beak.

   Suggested time: about 6 minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Add about a third of the meringue to the matcha mixture and mix well to loosen it, then pour it all back into the meringue bowl and fold gently with a spatula until combined. Matcha contains natural fats that can easily deflate the bubbles, so working quickly and decisively is key. The batter is ready when it's evenly green with no white streaks and still light and airy.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Pour the batter into the pan from a height, run a chopstick around once to pop any large air bubbles, then bake at 160°C for about 35 to 40 minutes. A small pan bakes faster than a large one, so start checking the cake at the thirty-five minute mark. It's done when the top is slightly cracked and dry, springs back when pressed lightly and a bamboo skewer comes out clean.

   Bake at 160°C for about 35 to 40 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Turn the pan upside down as soon as it comes out of the oven, set it over the neck of a bottle and let the cake cool for about an hour and a half somewhere airy. Cooling it upside down keeps the crumb from shrinking as steam escapes. The cake is ready when the bottom of the pan feels cool with no warmth left.

   Suggested time: about 90 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Run a thin knife or bamboo skewer around the sides of the pan and the center tube, then release the cake from the base and set it on a serving plate. Working gently keeps the thin crust from peeling off. The cake is ready when it stands upright, the cut side is an even moss green and the air holes are small and fine.

   Mark step 9 as done