Vegan Matcha Cake
This vegan matcha cake is made up of two layers of fluffy sponge cake sandwiched and covered with dairy-free vanilla buttercream frosting. It’s perfect for green tea lovers and the vibrant colour is sure to impress!
I’m on a cake-making roll right now and the latest addition to the blog is this beautiful vegan green tea matcha cake with dairy-free vanilla frosting!
My first experience using matcha powder was a few years ago when my mum got me a pack full of it from an online shop.
I’m not exactly sure if it was 100% authentic but it gave me SO much energy! To the point that it would change my whole shy personality and give me a crazy high.
But then I’d always crash a few hours later…
I’m pretty sensitive to caffeine so nowadays, I mostly stick to matcha tea bags. They seem to contain a manageable amount of matcha and feel way less intense.
I made a small exception for this recipe because I loved the idea of making a really brightly coloured cake.
You don’t need a huge amount of the matcha powder to create a really vibrant colour, which means you can make the flavour as strong or as subtle as you like. Perfect for other people who may also be sensitive to caffeine!
What type of green tea powder is best?
I used some small matcha sachets that I found in my local Tesco as it was quite hard to find anything else without going online. They tasted great to me but I’m not a regular matcha powder user so take my opinion with a pinch of salt.
A good general rule is to try to find the highest quality stuff you can get. This will prevent the cake from being too bitter after it’s baked, which can happen if you use the super cheap stuff. This quality guide by Matcha Wellness is really useful to help you separate the good from the bad.
How to make vegan matcha cake
Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you’re using a fan or convection oven).
Grease, flour and line two 7-inch cake tins.
Step 2:
In a small bowl or mug, mix 315ml of soy milk (1+1/4 cup) with 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar.
If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can substitute it for fresh lemon juice instead.
Set it aside for now. This will act as your vegan buttermilk.
Step 3:
In a large bowl, mix together 350g of self-raising flour (2+2/3 cups), 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder, 200g of caster sugar (1 cup) and 2 teaspoons of matcha green tea powder.
Step 4:
Add your dairy-free buttermilk into the bowl with the dry ingredients along with 180g (3/4 cup) of dairy-free margarine and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Mix everything together really well until you have a smooth eggless matcha cake batter. It should be a very vibrant green colour!
Step 5:
Divide the cake batter equally between your 2 cake tins and smooth it out.
Pop them in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.
Step 6:
Let the cakes cool in the tins for 5 minutes then flip them out onto a wire rack, peel off the baking paper and leave them to cool completely.
For the vanilla frosting
No eggless green tea cake would be complete without frosting! If you don’t want to use the vanilla buttercream, I really recommend that you use a frosting of some kind with this cake because it’s not very sweet on its own.
- In a large bowl, soften 120g of dairy-free margarine (1/2 cup) by mixing it with a wooden spoon. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and stir it in.
- Measure out 300g (2 + 1/2 cups) of icing sugar. Add it to the bowl a little bit at a time, mixing as you go.
- Once all of the icing sugar has been mixed in, give it a good mix with an electric whisk or stand mixer. This will help to smooth it out, making it nice and fluffy. If it’s too thick to spread, you can add a splash of plant-based milk to loosen it. And if it’s too runny, just add more icing sugar to thicken it back up.
Assembly
Place your first sponge cake layer on a cake stand or plate. Spread over a thick layer of buttercream.
Add the next cake layer and repeat. You can leave it like this with the sides exposed, or you can cover the whole cake in buttercream. It’s totally up to you!
FAQ
In an airtight container at room temperature. There’s no need to keep it in the fridge but you don’t want to let it get too warm or the buttercream will melt. If stored correctly, it will be good for 4-5 days.
I’d really recommend using 7-inch tins for this recipe otherwise the cake layers may turn out flat.
If you’d like to use larger tins (say 9-inches), then I’d recommend either doubling the recipe or only using 1 tin instead of 2.
As noted above, the cake isn’t very sweet on its own so I do recommend a frosting of some kind. If you don’t fancy vanilla buttercream, check out my list of 15 vegan frosting recipes.
More vegan cake recipes
I hope you enjoy this dairy-free matcha cake! If you make it at home, please leave a rating or review to let me know how you got on. Happy baking!xo
Vegan Matcha Cake
Light and fluffy vegan matcha cake with dairy-free buttercream frosting.
Ingredients
For the matcha sponge cakes:
- 315 ml Soy milk (1 + ¼ cups)
- 1 Teaspoon Apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 350 g Self-raising flour (2 + ⅔ cups)
- ¼ Teaspoon Baking soda
- 200 g Caster sugar (1 cup)
- 2 Teaspoons Matcha powder (use 1 teaspoon for a subtle flavour)
- 180 g Vegan margarine, melted (¾ cup before melting)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
For the vanilla frosting:
- 120 g Vegan margarine (½ cup)
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 300 g Icing sugar (2+½ cups)
- Splash Plant-based milk (if needed)
Instructions
For the matcha sponge cakes:
-
Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F (or 160°C/325°F if you're using a fan or convection oven).
-
Grease, flour and line two 7-inch cake tins.
-
Mix the soy milk and vinegar together and set aside.
-
In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, sugar and matcha powder together.
-
Add the soy milk mixture along with the melted margarine and vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a smooth cake batter. Make sure to get any dry bits from the bottom of the bowl.
-
Divide the cake mix equally between your two cake tins. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick through the centre comes out clean.
-
Let the cakes cool in the tins for 5 minutes then flip them out on a wire rack to cool completely.
For the vanilla frosting:
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In a large bowl, soften the margarine using a wooden spoon then stir in the vanilla extract.
-
Mix in the icing sugar, a little bit at a time.
-
Using an electric whisk or stand mixer, whisk the frosting for a minute or two until it becomes smooth, pale and fluffy. It should be a spreadable consistency but if you need to loosen it a bit, just add a splash of plant-based milk. If it's too runny, you can add more icing sugar.
Assembly:
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Place the first cake layer on a plate or cake stand. Spread a thick layer of buttercream onto it.
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Add the second cake layer on top and repeat. You can leave it like this or you can coat the sides of the cake in buttercream too.
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Let the cake sit at room temperature for around an hour, to let the icing harden, then cut into slices and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Marla
Sunday 14th of March 2021
Made this yesterday and it was great! I used 2 tsp matcha which was a good flavour without actually tasting too strong but it gave a nice colour. Thanks for the recipe!