A Taste of The Tropics: Mizuba Matcha Kiwi Cake in Hawaii

Dreaming of a tropical beach, somewhere far away? The wind in your hair, and all the exotic fruit in your hands to munch on? Us too. We’re fortunate enough to have lots of childhood memories of Poipuu Beach and Waimanalo in Hawaii to rely on — haupia pudding smeared all over our faces, a can of Hawaiian Sun not far at hand. So when we need to slow down with a sweet slice of relaxation, we immediately think of lazing in the sunshine with a large slice of MATCHA KIWI CAKE. 

This special cake is brought to us by Mizuba Matcha-loving sisters Oda, Tara, and Nicole. Using Tara’s divinely fluffy vanilla cake recipe, Nicole brought Mizuba Matcha over to the islands, and combined it with Tara’s cake to elevate it into an incredibly elegant creation worthy of any spring or summer table. The sisters chose fresh kiwi to adorn and nestle around the cake’s layers. The fruit brings a nice citrus punch to the richness of the white cake base.

“The fruit really brings a party of flavor from beginning to end of each bite,” says Nicole, “matcha blends in the cake for a creamy, smooth component — perfect for rounding out the cake and frosting’s sweetness.” Both of these ingredients truly give the cake a developed, engaging taste, taking you from citrus and juicy to sweet, milky, and creamy with Mizuba's signature buttery matcha flavor throughout.

The simple, pure beauty of the cake comes from Tara’s seasoned design eye and taste from her experience with Passion Roots, a local floral design company in Oahu, Hawaii, that focuses on couture weddings and events. “The cake is easy to make and easy on the eyes; it will instantly become a party favorite!" says Nicole.

Cut this cake into squares instead of slices for a more traditional Japanese tea cake aesthetic — and of course, pair it with your favorite cup of Mizuba Matcha! Post your favorite #MatchaMoment to @MizubaTeaCo on Instagram. We’d love to see how you best enjoy this beautiful cake. 

Ingredients

Makes one 6" cake

Cake

• 2 cups flour (can substitute almond, coconut, or oat flour)
  
• Coconut oil, for greasing pan
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
  
• ¼ tsp salt
  
• 2 Tbsp Organic Signature Matcha 
  
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  
• 1½ cups granulated sugar (can substitute coconut sugar) 
  
• 3 large eggs 
  
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 3-5 kiwis (can substitute any other desired or seasonal fruit)

Frosting

• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
  
• 6 cups powdered sugar
  
• ¼ tsp Kosher salt
  
• ¼ cup whole milk
  
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp Organic Signature Matcha for inner frosting layer

Recipe
Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. 
2. Grease two cake pans generously with coconut oil. 
3. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder. 
4. In a separate bowl, cream butter with a mixer and add sugar until texture is light and fluffy. 
5. Mix in one egg at a time, while scraping down batter from the sides of the bowl to distribute evenly. 
6. Next, slowly alternate adding 1 cup of milk and flour until all of it has been used, mixing to evenly combine. Add vanilla and matcha and mix. 
   
7. Evenly distribute batter between two greased cake pans, leaving ⅛-¼” room at top for rising. 
8. Bake in oven for 33-35 minutes (for 9” pans bake for 28-30 minutes) or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and tops are golden brown.
9. Let cool on rack completely before icing. 

Frosting

1. In a bowl, cream butter with mixer until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and salt until combined. 
2. Slowly add in milk until desired consistency is achieved, then mix in vanilla. Add more powdered sugar if you prefer a thicker frosting. 
3. Separate a small portion of the frosting in another bowl and add in the desired amount of matcha to make green frosting.
   

Assembly

1. Once cakes are completely cooled, use a knife to slice off the tops to create a nice flat surface. 
2. With a spatula, ice the outside and bottom layer of cake with the regular frosting, leaving the top bare.
3. Using the matcha icing, ice the top of the bottom layer generously.
4. Stack second cake layer on top. 
5. Ice the outside and top layer of cake with regular frosting. 
   
6. Assemble peeled and thinly sliced kiwis on top of cake in desired design.
7. Sprinkle more matcha on top of cake before slicing. 
8. Cake can be refigerated for up to a week. 

Author Note: For a matcha green ombré design, separate cake batter for each pan and mix in varying amounts of matcha. For a fuller kiwi flavor, puree 2-3 kiwis and add to cake batter. 

Tara Oda, based in Oahu, Hawaii, works for Passion Roots, a local floral design company focusing on couture weddings and events. Beyond extrapolating on her vanilla cake recipe, we utilized Tara’s floral design and aesthetic eye for the design presentation.