Matcha Roll Cake Recipe

Recipe at a Glance

Makes one 10-inch roll cake (8 to 10 servings), 1.5 hours total.

What You Need

For the sponge: - 4 large eggs, room temperature - 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar - 3/4 cup (90g) cake flour (or all-purpose flour) - 1.5 tbsp (9g) culinary grade matcha - 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted - Pinch of salt

For the filling: - 1.5 cups (360ml) heavy whipping cream, cold - 3 tbsp powdered sugar - 1/2 tsp vanilla extract - Optional: 1 tsp matcha for a matcha whipped cream

How to Make It

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line a 10x15 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and grease well. 2. Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for 5 to 7 minutes until thick, pale, and tripled in volume (ribbon stage). 3. Sift cake flour, matcha, and salt together. Gently fold into the egg mixture in three additions. 4. Fold in melted butter. 5. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. 6. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched. 7. Immediately turn the hot cake out onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. Peel off the parchment. 8. Roll the cake up in the towel (starting from the short end) while still hot. Let cool completely, about 1 hour. 9. Whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. 10. Unroll the cooled cake. Spread whipped cream evenly, leaving a 1-inch border. 11. Re-roll the cake (without the towel). Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before slicing.

Tips for the Best Result

Roll the cake while hot. This is the most important step. Rolling while hot sets the shape and prevents cracking when you re-roll with filling. Do not let the cake cool before rolling.

Beat eggs to ribbon stage. The volume from the eggs is the only leavening in this cake. Under-beaten eggs produce a flat, dense sponge.

Fold gently. Aggressive folding deflates the egg foam and produces a dense cake.

Cool completely before filling. Adding whipped cream to a warm cake melts the cream and makes the roll soggy.

Variations

Matcha and red bean roll cake: Spread a thin layer of sweetened red bean paste before the whipped cream.

Matcha and strawberry roll cake: Add sliced fresh strawberries on top of the whipped cream before rolling.

Double matcha roll cake: Add 1 tsp matcha to the whipped cream filling for a matcha-on-matcha version.