Sunday 17 November 2013

GIFT FROM MAKI: EMERALD MATCHA


It was a quiet week at work. My co-workers have inexplicably turned into mice - scurrying about the office, conversing in hushed voices. It was as if some impending doom is going to befall us and I'm the last to know.

It's hard to believe that it's been over a month since Ken Hsu brought the book back from Taipei! It’s really a book about breads but the first recipe which caught my eye is one for Matcha Pound Cake. I had unabashedly asked Maki whether she could buy me some matcha powder from Japan. She did so, picking a matcha that was meant specially for baking. I'm holding the cup next to the window so you can check out its intense color.


The recipe makes three 8 x 15.5cm cakes.  The smallest tins I own measure 8.5 x 17cm.  As a result my cakes didn't achieve the height I was expecting.  In fact, they didn’t look appealing at all!  The tops were a dull and I felt that the emerald hardly came through. 

I gingerly cut into one and was glad to find that it was velvety. My father bit into a still-warm slice, grinned and said the texture was light and that he loves the crust. My mother pointed out that the insides has many tiny holes.  I wonder if holes are a good thing?

THE MORNING AFTER:  I'm happy to announce that the two mini Matcha Pound Cakes that I brought to the office were very well received.  Those GPs who tried them said they were actually very good!  Lesson learnt: do not judge a cake by its colour.  :)


1 comment:

Maki said...

They look nice!
There is no doubt that people in the office liked your cakes and I wish I was there, too :-)
As you told me, the color of these cakes is nice green!
How about the flavor of green tea?
Can you taste green tea?
Is there any difference between this green tea powder and the other one I sent you before?
For the next time, could you try to bake cream puffs with green tea cream or custard?!?!

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