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Raspberry Matcha Roll Cake

Name: Raspberry Matcha Roll Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 2 h 42 min
Yield: 10
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup (120 grams) cake flour, sifted (*to measure properly, fluff the bag of flour well then scoop, then level); 2 tablespoons (10 grams) culinary grade matcha; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature; 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, divided; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; roughly 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioner’s sugar, for rolling the cake; 2/3 cup (215 grams) Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves; 2/3 cup (160 mL) chilled heavy cream; 3 tablespoons (24 grams) confectioner’s sugar; 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 package (6 ounces) raspberries, plus more for garnishing; confectioner's sugar, for dusting

April 18, 2019

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This spring matcha cake is filled with Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves and a light raspberry cream filling. An elegant, light, and fruit forward cake to serve for Easter brunch or year round!

I’m so excited to share this matcha roll cake recipe with you all! Don’t you just love the colors? I can’t think of a more spring-like cake!

Ever since I traveled to Japan two years ago, I’ve become enamored with matcha. We saw it (quite literally) everywhere on our trip and in every form imaginable. If you’re unfamiliar with the ingredient, matcha is the powder form of green tea leaves, which are grown in the shade.

This unique growing method produces a vibrantly green tea that is less bitter and more sweet in flavor. Matcha has a very complex flavor that lends itself well to so many flavor pairings, particularly fruit.

It also lends a beautiful rich green color to desserts, such as this raspberry matcha cake, which I love.

The juxtaposition fo the vibrant green matcha cake paired with the dark reddish pink raspberry preserves and raspberry cream filling is particularly fitting in the springtime, when everything is just starting to bloom.

Why You’ll Love This Raspberry Matcha Cake:

If you’ve been following the blog for some time, you know that I have a thing for roll cakes. We’ve made a vanilla raspberry roll cake, as well this chocolate passion fruit roll cake.

They were my absolute favorite cake growing up, and my mom would regularly make them for various celebrations and holidays, including Easter brunch. They are elegant and great for special occasions, yet not at all heavy, rich, or too sweet.

I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve watched her make sponge cakes over the years. The process was practically engrained in me from birth.

How to Make a Matcha Roll Cake:

My favorite roll cake recipes are made with sponge cake batters, which are by nature very light and fluffy. To infuse the cake with matcha flavor, we’ll be adding powdered matcha tea to the dry ingredients. It’s that simple!

Matcha tea comes in various grades (ceremonial grade, culinary grade, and latte grade, just to name a few). For this recipe, and most desserts, culinary grade is the preferred variety. It also is much more affordable.

It is important to sift this mixture together well to ensure there are no clumps and the batter comes together smoothly and evenly.

Roll cakes have a reputation of being complicated and finicky, but I consider them to be one of the easiest desserts, particularly if you keep the filling simple.

Tips for Success:

The most important and crucial step for sponge roll cakes is rolling the cake immediately once it is removed from the oven. This step creates muscle memory in the cake and ensures that it does not split or crack during assembly later.

Once rolled, cooled, and unrolled, the matcha cake is spread with a layer of Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves and topped with a raspberry whipped cream filling.

I’m so excited to partner with Bonne Maman on today’s recipe, because my family has been using their products for as long as I can remember.

Bonne Maman translates to “grandmother” or “granny”, which is a testament to the brand’s commitment to tradition and authenticity.

All of their preserves are made with simple ingredients that you can find in your grandmother’s kitchen: the highest quality whole fruit, sugar, lemon juice, sugar, and fruit pectin.

The brand’s recipes have remained the same since the company was founded, which I absolutely love. Not only is the quality excellent, but they have a homemade taste that is unparalleled.

Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves happens to my favorite because it has that signature raspberry flavor and the texture is absolutely perfect, especially for this application.

It has the perfect amount of whole raspberry seeds and is just the right texture for spreading on roll cakes (this is very important, because if the preserves are too thick, you can accidentally break the delicate sponge cake) and so many other applications.

Raspberry Matcha Cake with Raspberry Cream and Raspberry Preserves

How to Prep and Serve This Raspberry Matcha Cake:

While roll cakes are best assembled and eaten the day they are prepared, you can absolutely prepare this cake a day ahead of serving – particularly if you’re planning on serving this for Easter brunch!

The matcha flavor will actually strengthen with time as the cake sits in the fridge. If you are not serving it right away, store this cake in the refrigerator to keep the whipped cream filling firm.

To show off the beautiful matcha color and keep this cake on the lighter side, I keep the decorations simple and don’t decorate the outside of the cake. Instead, just before serving, dust it with powdered sugar! Last, but not least, use a serrated knife for clean slicing.

Raspberry Matcha Roll Cake

Yield: 10 -12 Servings

This beautiful matcha sponge roll cake is filled with Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves and a raspberry whipped cream filling. A festive spring time dessert! This cake texture is best served the day it is baked and assembled, but can be prepared the day before as well. The matcha will actually develop and deepen with time. Well wrapped, the cake will keep in the refrigerator for up 3 to 4 days.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Chill Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 42 minutes

Ingredients

Matcha Sponge Cake:

1 cup (120 grams) cake flour, sifted (*to measure properly, fluff the bag of flour well then scoop, then level)
2 tablespoons (10 grams) culinary grade matcha
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
roughly 1/2 cup (60 grams) confectioner’s sugar, for rolling the cake

Raspberry Cream Filling:

2/3 cup (215 grams) Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves
2/3 cup (160 mL) chilled heavy cream
3 tablespoons (24 grams) confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package (6 ounces) raspberries, plus more for garnishing

For Garnishing:

confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 Celsius) with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease a half sheet pan (roughly 18-inch long x 13-inch wide) with baking spray, line with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper with baking spray. Set aside.
Sift together the cake flour, matcha, and salt. Set aside.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk over high speed until light and foamy. Slowly sprinkle in 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar and continue whisking over medium-high speed until the egg whites have reached medium peaks. Note: If the whisk attachment is lifted up, the tip of the peak should tip over but still hold. Carefully transfer to a large, clean mixing bowl and set aside until ready to use.
Wipe the stand mixer bowl clean (don’t worry if there is still some residue) and combine the egg yolks, the remaining 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Using the whisk attachment, beat over high speed until ribbony and pale yellow, about 3 minutes. Add about a third of the egg whites to the beaten yolk mixture, and gently combine together using the whisk attachment. Repeat with two more additions of the beaten egg whites, gently folding them in with a large spatula. Be careful not to deflate the egg whites by over mixing.
Sprinkle roughly a quarter of the cake flour onto the sponge batter, and fold in gently with a spatula. Repeat until all of the flour has been incorporated and the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure all of the ingredients have been incorporated evenly. Transfer the batter onto the prepared sheet pan and spread into an even layer using an offset spatula (the batter should fill the entire pan).
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until light golden in color. As the cake is baking, lay a clean kitchen linen (the long edge of the linen facing you) on your countertop and using a fine-meshed sieve, dust with confectioner’s sugar.
As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, loosen the edges of the cake from the pan with a knife if necessary. Carefully and quickly invert the sheet pan (long edge of the pan facing you) in one quick motion and cake onto the sugar-dusted linen. Very carefully peel off the parchment paper. Dust the cake with another thin layer of powdered sugar. While the cake is still warm, roll the cake and linen, narrow end to narrow end, into a tight spiral. The linen should be rolled with the cake, so that the cake does not touch itself as it is rolled. Cool on a wire rack, in the linen, until the cake is just room temperature.

For the Filling:

Unroll the cake so that it lays completely flat. Using an offset spatula, spread the Bonne Maman Raspberry Preserves into a very thin layer on the cake.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat over low speed, starting at slow speed and increasing to medium high, until thick and medium peaks form. The whipped cream should be on the slightly thicker side, as it will hold better in the final cake. Gently fold the mashed raspberries into the cream.
Spread the raspberry cream into an even, thin layer on the cake, leaving about a 3/4-inch border on all sides. Carefully re-roll the cake (without the linen), narrow end to narrow end, into a spiral. Gently place the cake seam-side down on a long serving platter (or small sheet pan) and cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one to two hours (or until just before assembly and serving). This will help set the cream and filling, and ensure it slices more cleanly.
Cover lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, dust the cake and berries generously with confectioner’s sugar and serve immediately.

Notes

This cake texture is best served the day it is baked and assembled, but can be prepared the day before as well. The matcha will actually develop and deepen with time. Well wrapped, the cake will keep in the refrigerator for up 3 to 4 days.