What to bake this weekend: Matcha and raspberry cake

Matcha, a finely ground, vibrant green powder made from the leaves of a special type of green tea, is such an extraordinary ingredient; versatile and with a very particular flavour. And delicious paired with chocolate. At the tea room, I use organic matcha powder and I suggest you do the same for this recipe; it’s readily available these days, and you can use any you have left to brew some healthy tea!

Melissa Forti’s matcha and raspberry cake (Torta al matcha e lamponi)
Serves 8

Ingredients

• 100g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 6 tbsp milk, at room temperature
• 6 eggs, at room temperature
• 180g caster sugar
• 160g plain flour
• 4 tsp matcha powder, ideally organic
• 250g raspberries, plus extra to decorate

For the frosting

• 250ml double cream
• matcha powder, for dusting

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160?C/gas mark 3. Butter the insides of two 18cm cake tins and line the bases and sides with baking parchment.
2. In a small pan, warm the milk and butter until the butter is fully melted, then set aside to cool.
3. Crack the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer (or into a mixing bowl and use an electric handheld whisk), add the sugar and whisk for about €8 minutes, until very pale and tripled in volume.
4. Sift the flour and matcha powder together ?three times (to aerate), then add them to the? egg mixture and gently fold them in, making’sure you don’t deflate the batter. Add the cooled butter and milk mixture and fold in gently, using a spatula. Divide the mixture between the prepared tins and bake for 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
5. Remove the tins from the oven and, before putting them on the counter, let them drop down onto? the counter. Do this twice and this will help stop the cakes from shrinking. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before inverting both cakes onto a wire rack. Leave to cool completely.
6. To assemble, place one cake on a serving plate or board. Whisk the cream for the frosting until medium stiff, then spread over the first cake and top with the raspberries in an even layer (cutting them in half or leaving them whole). Place the second cake on top and spread whipped cream over the top and sides of the cake, using a spatula. Dust matcha powder generously over the top to completely cover it. Decorate with raspberries, and pipe a cream border around the edge, if you wish.

Extracted from The Italian Baker by Melissa Forti (Quadrille, approx €26), out now. Photography by Danny Bernardini.