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Matcha Kasutera Honey Sponge Cake


In the 16th century, the Portuguese reached Japan, and soon started trade and missionary work. Nagasaki was then the only Japanese port open for foreign commerce. The Portuguese introduced many then-unusual things, such as guns, tobacco, and pumpkins—and castella. It was able to be preserved for a long period of time, and so was useful for the sailors who were out on the sea for months. In the Edo Period, in part due to the cost of sugar, it was an expensive dessert. When the Emperor of Japan's envoy was invited, the Tokugawa Shogunate presented the Castella. Over the years, the taste changed to suit Japanese palates.from Wikipedia

Kasutera is a traditional Japanese sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and honey. There are now many varieties made with ingredients such as matcha green tea, cocoa or brown sugar.

  1. Line a 44x12x6-cm wood box or an 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Fill half of a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Stir together the honey and green tea drink in a small bowl. Combine the flour, matcha tea powder and sift twice and set aside. Preheat the oven to 175C/350F.
  2. Place the eggs and the sugar into the bowl of your mixer. Set the bowl over the pot of hot water and whisk the mixture until lukewarm and the sugar is dissolved. Remove and beat over medium speed until the mixture starts to thicken. Lower the speed and continue whisking until it is thick and smooth. When you lift the whisk, the peaks drops slightly. Beat in honey water mixture in a few additions until incorporated.
  3. Sift in the flour in a few additions and whisk on low speed until fully incorporated. Pour the batter into the prepared wood box or the pan. Place in the hot oven and bake until the cake is golden brown and it feels spongy not tacky to the touch, about 50 minutes. Cool on the rack for 10 minutes, and remove from the pan.
Matcha Kasutera Honey Sponge Cake

141 comments:

tigerfish 11/5/10 10:46

I buy this at the Tokyo-Narita airport when I transit there. Never been to Japan other than the airport :(

[Reply]
Zurin 11/5/10 11:02

thats just beautiful Angie! I love the shade of green it absorbed frm the tea. very pretty :)

[Reply]
Cheah 11/5/10 11:14

Beautiful cake, Angie! Looks so soft and moist.

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denise @ quickies on the dinner table 11/5/10 11:19

Love matcha and your cake looks very moist and airy - just the way I like my cake! The colour of both the crumb and the crust is beautiful too :)

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Ivy 11/5/10 12:09

The sponge cake looks beautiful and sounds delicious with the honey but I've never heard of match tea powder before.

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Belinda @zomppa 11/5/10 13:15

Ooooooooooooo yum! And they're healthy with the matcha and green tea!

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TasteHongKong 11/5/10 13:35

Perfect! And your procedures sound baker-friendly : ).

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Rachana 11/5/10 13:56

Whata gorgeous looking bread, Angie! looks so soft and moist.

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Anonymous 11/5/10 14:16

Wow, that sounds incredible especially with the matcha tea powder!

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Unknown 11/5/10 14:54

Super! The texture of this looks so soft and moist. You know what I think this would go really good with, believe it or not? Really rich hot chocolate. Mmmm... I'm getting really hungry.
*kisses* HH

[Reply]
ann low 11/5/10 14:58

I love matcha. This honey sponge cake looks soft & moist~~yummy!

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♥peachkins♥ 11/5/10 15:08

I can almost imagine the soft sponge-y cake tasting of matcha....


blowing peachkisses
The Peach Kitchen
peach and things

[Reply]
Biren 11/5/10 15:19

That's a gorgeous cake! Love the matcha in it!

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Dajana 11/5/10 15:21

It's so gorgeously spongy.

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ICook4Fun 11/5/10 15:22

What a lovely cake. I made it once but is the plain old kind. Great idea in adding matcha to it.

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Angie 11/5/10 15:28

that looks very sweet and delicious!

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Chef E 11/5/10 16:00

I have been tempted to make a sponge cake the past few days. I like the history of this!

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MaryMoh 11/5/10 16:26

I haven't tried a matcha cake...poor me. I haven't seen green tea powder here. Maybe I should just fly to your place and enjoy this.....not too far :D

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Cool Lassi(e) 11/5/10 16:45

What a beautiful sponge cake. It looks as long a a train compartment. hehe..Looks awesome!

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fimere 11/5/10 17:41

une belle texture bien moelleux il a l'air succulent bravo
bonne journée

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WendyinKK 11/5/10 17:48

Angie,
I remember you telling me on my blog that you don't like castella cake.
Or you didn't do it as dense as it should be ? :)

BTW, may I know is German flour a high protein, or cake flour?

[Reply]
My Little Space 11/5/10 17:56

Hmm...mm....I wanna to take a bite...just one bite! Do you believe me? hahaha... Have a great time, dear!
Best wishes, Kristy

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Angie's Recipes 11/5/10 18:27

Wendy: The German flour #550 is like a pastry flour in the states. And you remember it right:-)) that sponge cake is not exactly my type of cake....Chiffon is my favourite.
Thank you, guys, for taking time to stop by! :-))

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Ann 11/5/10 18:50

kasutara looks terrific and Im drooling over the pic!

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Pete 11/5/10 18:52

Cute name for the cake and it makes me drool just by looking at it!

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Lazaro Cooks 11/5/10 18:56

Beautiful spongecake. Looks moist and perfect. Wonderful job.

Cheers!

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The Housewife 11/5/10 19:36

I love the thought of using honey in a cake. That's one really beautifully baked cake. Could I convert this to muffins?

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Namitha 11/5/10 20:04

Beautifully baked...looks so temptingto me :-)

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Priya Suresh 11/5/10 20:23

Gorgeous cake and beautiful baked..looks fabulous!!

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Angie's Recipes 11/5/10 20:34

The Housewife: You can use any baking pan you have, but you might have to adjust the baking temperature and time accordingly.

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Simplyfood 11/5/10 21:31

What a heavenly cake.Moist and spongy too.

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pigpigscorner 11/5/10 22:30

Looks really soft and moist! I like the touch of green tea here!

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Mary Bergfeld 12/5/10 01:29

I love the lightness of sponge cake. Yours looks really beautiful. I hope you are having a great day. Blessings...Mary

[Reply]
Happy Homebaker 12/5/10 01:49

This is so lovely! Your sponge cake looks so light and moist! I have come across this type of cake from several Japanese cookbooks but I have never tried it! You have just given me the much needed nudge :)

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Tuty @Scentofspice 12/5/10 01:54

The texture of this cake looks very nice. I wonder if the wooden box made the cake's texture any different or more moist (I assume that the wood caused less browning on the sides).

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Reeni 12/5/10 02:51

I love the texture of this cake! And all the flavor variations. A lovely cake Angie! Cool history too.

[Reply]
Nisrine 12/5/10 03:13

Green tea cake sounds fantastic. What a good baker you are!

Nisrine

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Elin 12/5/10 07:16

Hi Angie,

You truly know I love this!! Green tea some more haha will definitely try this out. Thanks for the recipe :) beaming now :p

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citronetvanille 12/5/10 07:49

oh I so want that!!!!!! matcha is one of my weakness in desserts! beautiful cake!

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Sonia ~ Nasi Lemak Lover 12/5/10 10:37

I have bookmark this recipe long time ago, but have yet to give it a try, also due to I can't get the wooden box here, maybe have to order and custom made one.

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Joanne 12/5/10 13:05

That looks so incredibly moist and delicious! I love that it's flavored with honey...so simple and yet so good.

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A Canadian Foodie 12/5/10 14:10

Now, Angie... I see your photograph, and clearly, you are a very small woman. who eats all of this delectable food? I need to find where I can get matcha tea in Edmonton. Nowhere so far. I love the colour it brings to so many foods... and there are so many possibilities with it. This cake looks moist, and dense and flavourful. The perfect afternoon delight!
:)
Valerie

[Reply]
Erica 12/5/10 16:15

What a beautiful cake!!!Moist and delicious.

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Jo 12/5/10 16:38

You know what ... I'm been eyeing this cake for a long time now. It looks amazing, so moist and soft. Angie, the more I look at your pics, the stronger the urge!

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A Full-Timed Housefly 12/5/10 17:59

You are so good both in cooking and baking , the cake is so moist and soft

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Indian Khana 12/5/10 18:42

Oh my this looks so gud and moist...

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Anonymous 12/5/10 21:20

wow, it looks absolutely delightful.am sure the tea flavour wud be great

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Catherine 12/5/10 23:30

This looks wonderful Angie! I love the way it sounds!

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tasteofbeirut 13/5/10 02:36

This looks like such a fragrant and light bread! would love to taste it and I really ought to bake with matcha at least once!

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Lisa Ho 13/5/10 03:17

OMG... missed so many of your articles...:(
Got to catch up...

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sweetlife 13/5/10 03:25

oh I love this..matcha oh how divine..it looks awesome..

sweetlife

[Reply]
Velva 13/5/10 04:05

Angie, the sponge cake looks divine. You make wonderful desserts and baked goods.

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chow and chatter 13/5/10 05:03

wow what a yummy looking cake and fun history

[Reply]
Sook 13/5/10 07:51

Angie, this cake looks so moist and delicious!

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Sutapa 13/5/10 07:55

What a beautiful, soft, moist, spongy & delicious cake Angie! Love the green!

[Reply]
Janet @Gourmet Traveller 88 13/5/10 11:36

I have made it once, tasted good but did not look as good as yours as mine did not come out as flat as yours. Have been thinking to try again. I have only handheld mixer so last time it got really got! Gotta try again.

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OysterCulture 13/5/10 14:22

This recipe sounds incredibly tasting and I love stories of cultural connections. What's surprising to me is that the list of ingredients couldn't be simpler.

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petite nyonya 13/5/10 16:17

I heard of kasutera but never know it looks so soft, moist and good. The matcha flavor is perfect too!

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The Duo Dishes 13/5/10 22:20

Looks like all we need is a hot cup of tea!

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natural selection 13/5/10 23:08

Just a quick question, do you have space in your kitchen because I would like to move in I'm very quiet tenant...As long as I'm surrounded by this cake.

This cake is out of control this is my favorite kind of cake just like grandma made! I call this 3am cake..because you get up at 3am and cut yourself a slice..or two.

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tobias kocht! 13/5/10 23:29

a little bit of history, thats nice. love the cake.

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theUngourmet 14/5/10 07:09

Thanks for the history lesson. The combination of the green tea and honey sounds delightful!

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Hornsfan 14/5/10 14:20

Beautiful cake - I really like the history that goes with :)

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Carol 14/5/10 18:23

I love sponge cake but never had matcha! but honey sponge is so good, I'd try this one in a second. Looks delicious and moist! Perfect! Enjoyed the history of it as well :)

[Reply]
Jayanthy Kumaran 14/5/10 18:35

Hy Angie,

First time here...you have a gorgeous space here. Happy to follow u.
Honey sponge cake looks gorgeous...
Do drop in at my blog sometime.

[Reply]
Tasty Eats At Home 14/5/10 19:43

Sponge cake with honey? I"m so there. :)

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Cherine 14/5/10 19:55

Wow this looks soooooo DELICIOUS!

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Pei-Lin 14/5/10 20:59

Ah, I've tried making honey kasutera but not matcha one!! I oughta give this version a try! Thanks for sharing!! Looks so, so moist!

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Arlette 14/5/10 21:15

Hello Angie,
I ve been thinking of using my matcha all this week I have some leftover from last year.. and your cake just on time.. Love this sponge and the color..
Do you know how long you can keep the matcha, its been exactly a year...
bookmarked the cake to try it soon.thanks

[Reply]
Angie's Recipes 14/5/10 21:26

Arlette: Store the green tea powder well-wrapped in the freezer if don't use them all at once. I still have some in the freezer that I bought a couple of years ago from China. :-) So, no worries.

[Reply]
Xiao Yen Recipes 15/5/10 01:43

It looks so yummy and moist! And the use of green tea matcha makes it a very interesting sponge cake. Can't wait to try this out!

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Rosa's Yummy Yums 15/5/10 11:04

That sponge cake is very beautiful! That flavor combo is awesome!

Cheers,

Rosa

[Reply]
Su-yin 15/5/10 12:49

I love kasutera, and yours looks fastastic. Love how you added honey to it as well.

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Food For Tots 15/5/10 19:38

What a lovely cake! Love your step-by-step photos! ;)

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Devaki 15/5/10 20:18

How wonderful Angie! That green tea infused the cake all the way through. Incidentally last week I fixed a English breakfast tea, date & walnut cake for afternoon tea :) Have yet to write the post.

I am always amazed how you manage to make your cakes so very moist. You are a true talent girl!

Ciao, Devaki @ weavethousandflavors

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kitchen flavours 16/5/10 12:45

It looks so tempting. Feels like taking a bite now! Looks so moist and delicious!

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Unknown 17/5/10 22:38

Looks spongy and moist!!Gorgeous

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C.G. the Foodie 18/5/10 16:16

This loks absolutely delightful!

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Rick 20/5/10 14:56

That looks like something I need to devour now!

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Anonymous 25/5/10 15:21

THis is great! I see this cake in Japanese supermarket and it's always very expensive!

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OysterCulture 21/6/10 02:21

What an absolutely yummy sounding cake. I love all the flavors you combined here. Now I have to make it and share the joy!

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mary anderson 6/3/19 00:05

wao it looks so fresh! now i don't have to buy it from the mart i can make it by my own just because of you angie thanks! :)

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