(Makes 2 x 6” round cakes)

Cake

240 g cake flour
80 g black sesame powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
170 g unsalted butter, softened
120 g castor sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
150 g buttermilk
pinch of salt

Matcha Swiss Buttercream

2.5 tsp YURI / Matcha powder
4 egg whites
300 g castor sugar
335 g unsalted butter, room temperature

1. Spray cake tins with grease release spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 170°C, fan forced or 180°C convection oven.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda together. Add in black sesame powder and stir through lightly.
3. Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down once, and beat until it’s thoroughly combined.
4. Add the eggs in one at a time, scraping the bowl down again, and beating thoroughly.
5. Add in the vanilla and salt and mix again for another 5 seconds.
6. Add in HALF of the dry ingredients, and mix on a low speed.
7. Scrape the bowl down again half way through mixing, and continue to mix until the mixture is smooth. Do not over mix.
8. Pour in half of the buttermilk and mix to combine.
9. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and repeat the same process, and finally finish with the remaining half of the buttermilk.
10. Mix for another minute until the batter is smooth, taking care not to over mix the batter.
11. Bake for approximately 25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when poked in the centre of the cake.
12. Let it cool for 10 minutes before de-moulding the cake.

1. Place egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl of an electric stand mixer.
2. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water, not touching the water.
3. Whisk or stir constantly until sugar is dissolved. The sugar should be dissolved with no graininess when a bit is rubbed between two fingers. It will be hot to the touch. Immediately place the bowl on the stand mixer and whip on high using the whisk attachment until frosting has become thick and glossy, forming a stiff peak.
4. Continue to whip frosting until the bowl feels room temperature to the touch, a total of about 10 minutes.
5. Switch the whisk attachment to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, drop in butter, 1 tbsp at a time, beating until smooth after each addition. If the buttercream appears curdled or clumpy at any time, increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth. Once all of the butter has been incorporated, it is ready to use.
6. For Matcha buttercream, use 2.5 teaspoons of YURI / Matcha powder to 270 g of buttercream. Any more powder, and the buttercream will taste slightly bitter.
7. Swiss meringue buttercream will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks.

Tips: If using the buttercream for other flavours, you can add in melted chocolate for example, or lemon zest, or even fruit purees. The combinations are endless.

1. Return the buttercream to room temperature, then whisk up again in the mixer till light and fluffy.
2. Once the cakes are cooled, trim away the risen domes from the cakes and make them level. Cut the layers into halves, so you have 4 layers in total.
3. Then with the Matcha buttercream, you can now layer and stack the cake, with as little or as much buttercream as you like. Then mask the entire cake with more buttercream and decorate as you please.
4. Chill the cake slightly before serving, so it’s easier to slice.