Oh. Ā My. Ā Golly. Ā Goodness.
Don’t let the simple appearance of this cake fool you – there’s nothing simple about the flavor. Ā Almonds, vanilla, green tea and honey combine to make this a truly remarkable cake. Ā Light and airy, layers of flavor, and the perfect touch of moistness make this a cake you will long remember.
This cake was created by request of Adam Bird from London (Make a Request!). Ā He wrote, “When I was in France a few years ago, I tried a green tea cake. Yes, I know it sounds weird, but in actual fact it was wonderful! It was a rather dense, sticky, almondy sponge with a very delicate green tea flavour over the top. Not something I had seen before, or have seen since, but it was so delicious that Iād love to be able to make it at home.” Ā Round up the ingredients and get out the baking pan, because you’re all in for a treat!
This was an experimental cake. Ā I had never made anything quite like this before either. Ā I was intrigued and got to work on it. Ā As I conceptualized it in my mind, I knew I wanted something with a very light and delicate crumb that would sip, instead of gulp, up the moisture of the green tea without it becoming overly soggy and “water-logged.” Ā I wanted something that would accommodate the moisture while maintaining an airy crumb. Ā Using only a little flour, several egg whites beaten separately, and ground almonds to create a light crumbly texture, would be key.
I love honey in my fruit and herbal teas. Ā The combination of green tea and honey as a delicately and not overly goopy glaze sounded perfect and turned out beautifully. Ā The cake drank it right up and still maintained that perfectly light and airy crumb.
Thanks for putting in this request, Adam – we have another winner!
Let’s get started!
For this cake I prefer the flavor and texture imparted by freshly ground almonds. Ā HoweverĀ you can substitute pre-ground blanched almond meal.
If blanching and grinding the almonds yourself: Ā Pour some boiling water to cover the almonds and let them sit for about 5 minutes, or until the peels easily slip off.
Remove the nut peels and discard. Ā This is a fun little project to involve your kids in. Ā But be careful, if you squeeze the nuts they’ll go shooting from their skins across the room! Ā Dab the nuts with paper towels to remove the moisture and let them air dry for at least a couple of hours or overnight.
Grind the nuts with 1/4 cup of the sugar to prevent the mixture from becoming pasty.
Heat 1/2 cup of water until very hot, but not boiling, and pour over 6 bags of green tea (green tea becomes bitter if you use boiling water). Ā Let steep for 1-3 minutes then remove the tea bags and discard. Ā Note: Ā Use more tea bags if you prefer a stronger green tea flavor.
Place the butter and sugar in a bowl.
Cream the mixture with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Ā Don’t become impatient with this process, it’s key to the success of your cake. Ā Add the yolks, one at a time, continuing to beat until combined.
Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat just until combined.
Gently fold in the almond mixture with a rubber spatula.
Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and beat with a mixer on medium high speed until they become foamy. Ā Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
Stiff peaks means that when you pull the beater away, the peaks will stand up (see picture below). Ā Be careful not to over-mix though.
Sift the flour and baking powder in a small bowl. Ā Sifting is important in order to achieve and light and airy crumb.
Gently fold in 1/3 of the egg whites.
Next fold in 1/3 of the flour mixture, alternating the remaining egg whites and flour. Ā Fold very gently and be careful not to over-stir. Ā This is absolutely key to the success of the cake. Ā If a few lumps remain, that is alright.
Pour the batter into a greased 9X2 inch round pan (or you can also use an 8×8 inch square pan) and bake at 350 degrees F for abou minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Ā Be careful not to over-bake or the cake will be dry.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it remain in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Invert it carefully and then place top side up on a cake platter.
Look at that beautiful, flaky top!
Poke several small holes with a toothpick around the top of the cake to allow the glaze to absorb more easily in to the cake.
To make the glaze, place the green tea and honey in a small saucepan. Ā Heat until the honey is dissolved, then remove from the heat.
Pour the glaze evenly over the whole cake.
Let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Deliciously light, airy, tender and moist. Ā Enjoy! Ā (You will, I promise)
- ½ cup butter, at room temperature
- ¾ cup white granulated sugar
- ¾ cup blanched almonds (I prefer the flavor and texture of freshly ground almonds but you can substitute 1 cup blanched almond meal)
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons quality pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon quality almond extract
- ½ cup cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup concentrated quality green tea (brewed with 6 or more tea bags), decaf or regular
- 3 tablespoons honey
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x2 inch round pan or a 8x8 inch square pan.
- (Skip blanching process if using pre-ground almond meal) To blanch the almonds, pour boiling water over them to cover. Let them sit for about 5 minutes or until the peels slip off easily. Discard the peels and let the almonds air dry for a few hours. Grind the almonds with ¼ of the sugar.
- Cream the butter and ½ cup of sugar until light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating until the mixture is pale and fluffy, another 3-4 minutes. Add the vanilla and almond extract and beat just until combined. Fold in the ground almond mixture.
- Beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl on medium high speed until foamy, then add the cream of tartar. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form.
- Sift the cake flour and baking powder into a small bowl.
- Fold in ⅓ of the egg whites, then ⅓ of the flour mixture. Repeat with the remaining egg whites and flour. Be very careful not to over-stir.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
- Bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Be careful not to over-bake.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the cake and the place top side up on a cake platter.
- Poke some small holes around the top of the cake with a toothpick to allow the glaze to fully absorb.
- To make the glaze, place the green tea and honey in a small saucepan and heat until the honey is dissolved, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the glaze over the cake and let the cake sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Ā
Marri says
Luckily I can easily purchase ground almonds here in England so needn’t go through the route of having to grind my own. However, would you recommend adding that 1/2 cup of sugar used in the grinding to the overall mix?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Marri, yes, just add it to the batter with the rest of the sugar. I regularly use pre-ground almonds for convenience but if I’m after the best flavor possible, I’ll grind my own as they do have a better, fresher, stronger flavor. Happy baking!
Sabrina says
I like Matcha tea (also green tea, but special). I wonder whether I could add a tsp of Matcha tea powder in the flour (for flavour). It may alter the colour of the cake…and I love the way your cake looks.
I only used it once in some cookies and the taste was weirdly good. The colour of the cookies was light green.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Sabrina, I’m not familiar with Matcha tea but if you like the flavor by all means add some to the cake. The most important thing is that it tastes good, even if it’s a little green :)
Elena says
Hi!!
I love green tea and honey!! Can’t imagine how well this cake would taste!!! I have to try this recipe next! but cake flour is not readily available in Australia . Is there a substitute for cake flour?
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Elena! Yes, there is an easy solution – you can make cake flour yourself and it’s super simple! For every cup of all-purpose flour you use, remove 2 tablespoons of it and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in its place. Then sift the flour/cornstarch combination at least 3 times in a row to fully incorporate the mixture. That’s it – you now have cake flour! Happy baking! :)
Elena says
Excellent! Will definitely bake this tomorrow! Will let you know the results ! :)
The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, please do, Elena!
The Daring Gourmet says
P.S. Elena, another great version of this is the French Almond Cake with Lavender Lemon Glaze. Heavenly!
Elena says
Thanks for this wonderful recipe! I baked the cake , let it rest and poured the syrup over :) I might have put in too much honey, could not taste the green tea :( but the cake is simply delicious! Only thing was that my cake did not rise much at all..it was really short! and my batter was thick and little as well. Maybe my cake tin was too large to fit the batter! I shall attempt this again soon because its just so yummy!
I’ve seen that almond cake recipe with lavender lemon glaze ! awww, you have a sweet family, really. I enjoyed looking those pictures ! I love lavender! Its smells amazing, so fragrant! I will give it a go when I come across lavender! Might have to visit the lavender farm for that! Thanks once again!
The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful! This cake doesn’t rise very much. It’s not a tall cake and is probably 1 1/2 inches at the most, so unless yours was much flatter, it turned out correctly. The green tea flavor will depend on the brand as well. Some are weaker than others. Next time you could simply use more tea bags. It’s a very subtle, delicate flavor anyway so it’s not going to be very strong. Thanks for making this and for your feedback as well as your kind words. Best, Kimberly
Reena says
how much almond meal does 3/4 cup almonds yield as I have almond meal with me ?
Reena
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Reena! I’m excited you’re going to try this cake! I wouldn’t recommend using almond meal. It’s much finer, drier, and denser than freshly ground almonds. It won’t impart the same texture or flavor. If you don’t have access to whole almonds, then I’d say use about 1/2 cup of almond meal since it is denser.
bakeaffairs says
oh my!! how could I missed this post? Sounds mouthwatering and looks so delicious!
The Daring Gourmet says
Hello, Bakeaffairs, I’m so happy to hear from you again!! We really, really loved this cake. In fact, just this very morning on his way out to work my husband requested I make it again. This time I think I’m going to experiment with a lavender lemon glaze. I haven’t tried that combination before, but it sounds like it would be fabulous!
Carole says
Oooh,la la. Merci beaucoup, Kimberly
The Daring Gourmet says
Soyez le bienvenu, Carole! :)
Carole says
Kimberly, thanks for joining the cake extravaganza ā I am simply blown away by all the fantastic cakes ā and extremely hungry! Cheers
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Carole! There are some great ones for sure! Thanks for letting me include mine :)
Celeste says
I just made this cake and I have to say it is very special! Light and delicate, comforting and, dare I say, wholesome :) Thank you for creating this wonderful recipe and for spelling it out so clearly it was a breeze to make. The only thing I would do differently next time I make this wonderful cake is to make sure I have really good green tea on hand and I’d even throw in a couple more tea bags to make it a bit more concentrated… I love the green tea flavor and it pairs beautifully with this cake. Thank you, thank you! I’m going to try making your Lemon Zucchini bread next :)
The Daring Gourmet says
Celeste, thank you so much for making it and for your very gracious feedback! You know, the same thing had occurred to me as well – making the green tea a little more concentrated. Your comment also reminded me that I wanted to add a couple of notes about green tea in the post. Unlike other teas, green tea should be brewed with hot, but not boiling water. Boiling hot water turns the green tea very bitter, as does steeping it too long. Thanks again, Celeste, for your feedback. I’m so happy you liked the cake!
Celeste says
You’re so right about the temperature of the green tea! I have an electric kettle with a green tea setting but for those that don’t 175 degrees is the perfect temperature for green tea. I just enjoyed another piece of the cake and I have to say it was even better today after the green tea glaze had time to settle into the cake. Sooooo delicious! I think I’m going to make it again for a luncheon in a couple weeks :)
The Daring Gourmet says
Agreed – it was even better the next day. I kept it fully sealed in a cake saver so it wouldn’t dry out. I can still smell and taste the cake in my mind…will also be making it again soon :) Next time I may try adding flaked almonds on the top before baking just for appearance sake. I didn’t do it the first time because I wanted to make sure the glaze would soak in evenly across the cake. I think adding the flaked almonds though, as long as there’s a little spacing in between, will be a nice touch. It’ll be all the more important to bake the cake on the lowest rack to prevent the almonds from burning.
The Daring Gourmet says
Celeste, I just added a note in the recipe for two additional variations of this cake that would taste fantastic: Eliminate the green tea and make the glaze as instructed with water and honey, only reduce the water amount by 1-2 tablespoons and substitute with either 1-2 tablespoons rose water or 1-2 tablespoons orange blossom water.
Rose water, which is mixed with almonds to create marzipan, would taste phenomenal in this. Also, orange and almonds – something fresh and citrusy – would work beautifully as well. A nice Middle Eastern flair. I’m going to try these variations next. (And gain way too much weight in the process! I’ll have to make them, cut me off a slice or two, and then quickly give the rest away :) That said, with so little flour and relatively little sugar, this is a pretty “safe” cake to indulge in.
Oooh, and one more option! Steep some lavender flowers and add it with the honey glaze! Ah, the endless possibilities :)
Celeste says
All variations sound amazing!!! I’m going to have to make them all eventually. Especially the lavender honey glaze. From savory to sweet I’m a sucker for lavender infused flavors :) Love it! Thanks again!
Maria says
This looks and sounds amazing!!! Must make it. Think I will make it with earl grey tea.
The Daring Gourmet says
Thank, Maria! Absolutely! This cake lends itself well to several different flavors. I’ve been conjuring up a few ideas that I’m going to put to the test. Let me know what you think when you make it!
Medeja says
Wonderful recipe but it actually doesn’t say for how many minutes to bake it :) I really would love to try it
The Daring Gourmet says
Medeja, the instructions are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page – 30 minutes. You should definitely give this a try – it’s delicious!
Scarlet says
For those of us who don’t make our own almond flour, can you tell us the amount you used? I would love to make this.
The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Scarlet! There is no almond flour in this, just ground almonds and cake flour, which is wheat flour with a lower protein content.
jesusan says
You have discovered one of the secrets of European baking – plenty of eggs and not much flour. I used to make Sacher Torte completely from scratch (including the apricot jam),which was a wonderful cake, but I found that people had a hard time getting used to the texture because it is so different from American cakes. I don’t bake much any more, but if I need a cake this one would definitely be it.
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks, Jesusan :) My husband, who is American, typically doesn’t like cake. But he LOVED this one. Gave it a 10 out of 10. The texture of this cake is what I’m used to from Europe and I prefer it as well. Your Sacher Torte sounds wonderful – especially with the homemade apricot jam, yummy!
Jerry Ko says
This cake looks so light and delicate that you could easily cut through it with a fork. Plus the green tea honey glaze on top sounds wonderful! Great Job and thanks for sharing this.
The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the compliment, Jerry, and for stopping by!
Daniel Bird says
Thank you so much, this looks amazing!! Definitely reminiscent of the cake I tried in Clermont-Ferrand, I will get my baking hat on later this week and let you know how I get on. Thanks again :)