Matcha Swiss Roll

February 3, 2015November 16, 2022591 Views 184 Comments

Baking matcha sheet cake is different from vanilla and chocolate sheet cake.

When I bake matcha sheet cake, I block the oven’s bottom heat around two-thirds of the way.

Why?

To keep the inside of the cake moist whilst allowing the crust to dry out sufficiently. Without blocking the bottom heat, the crust would be sticky when the inside is just right. And if the bottom heat is blocked too early, the bottom of the cake would stick to the parchment paper.

What makes the crust dry out slowly?

Matcha. Some of the fine powder rises to the top of the cake when heated. Do wet leaves dry well in the oven? No, not as well as flour which has starch to help it set. That’s why the crust needs the tray’s help.

My matcha sheet cake doesn’t have much sugar, so it’s barely sweet. It reminds me of matcha tea which is usually drunk without sugar. It doesn’t have much oil either because matcha doesn’t absorb much. My vanilla sheet cake, in comparison, has twice as much oil.

Green tea powder helps “lighten” the cake. You know how tea makes food seem less rich? Matcha does that with cake.

If you don’t know much about matcha, please read my post on matcha layer cake. You’ll find information on what type of matcha to buy and how to store it.

I like to fill my matcha roll with matcha whipped cream and red beans. You can, of course, make sweetened red beans from scratch. But chances are your homemade version won’t be as fragrant as Japanese canned red beans unless your beans are from Hokkaido. Chinese red beans are far inferior.

I’ve tried two brands of red beans: Hashimoto and Imuraya. Both are fragrant but I prefer Hashimoto. It has more bite and is less sweet.

Imuraya beans are mushy and the syrup, because it’s thickened with cornstarch, is very gloopy. The gloop clings to the beans, adding to the sweetness and mushiness. Unlike Imuraya, Hashimoto is thickened with sorbitol. The syrup isn’t as thick at room temperature, so I can drain it.

One small can of Hashimoto, 190 g, yields 130 g after it’s drained. Leftovers may be refrigerated for a few weeks or frozen for a few months.

I like my matcha roll “naked”, i.e. it’s rolled inside out and there’s no icing. I think the green, spongy look is quite pretty. Is rolling the cake difficult? Not at all. The cake handles well (provided it’s made right). If you don’t know much about rolling Swiss rolls, please read my post on vanilla Swiss roll.

After you make the Swiss roll, have a small piece to see what it’s like. Take note of the taste and remember it. Keep the rest of the roll in the fridge, covered, for two days.

Your saintly patience will be rewarded with a matcha and red bean flavour that’s more intense and well-rounded than two days prior. After taking a bite, you’ll never again eat matcha Swiss roll that’s freshly made . . . or store-bought.