CHAMART introduces tea recipes, but this recipe has not been verified by a third party. Thus, please use the recipe as a reference.

Ingredients (for cake mold diameter 15cm) 
Cake flour 50g
Hojicha powder 10g
Sugar 60g
2 medium or large size eggs
3 tablespoons of milk
Butter 5g

Method: 
Sponge cake
1. Line the cake mold with parchment paper.

2. Sift cake flour and hojicha powder together at least 4 times to ensure they are evenly mixed.
3. In a container, combine milk and butter, heat in a 600W microwave for 20 seconds, and mix.
4. Boil water in a pot and adjust the water temperature to around 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit).
5. Crack eggs into a bowl, add sugar, and place the bowl over the pot of 60°C water to create a double boiler setup. While heating, whisk the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer or whisk. Whip the eggs and sugar on high speed with a hand mixer.

The eggs and sugar were beaten with a hand mixer for 5 minutes.

6. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes white and fluffy, forming ribbons when lifted with a whisk. If using a hand mixer on high speed, it should take about 8-10 minutes to reach this stage.
7. Add half of the sifted cake flour and hojicha powder mixture to the egg mixture and gently fold in with a large whisk several times.

8. Add the remaining cake flour mixture and the mixture of milk and melted butter from step 3. Fold gently with a whisk, being careful not to deflate the foam. If using a rubber spatula, fold the mixture by cutting through it. Mix about 20 times. Overmixing will deflate the batter and prevent the cake from rising.
9. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake mold. Drop the cake mold from a height of about 5cm (2 inches) onto the counter 2-3 times to remove air bubbles.
10. Bake in the middle rack of a preheated oven at 170°C (338°F) for about 20 minutes. Insert a skewer into the cake to ensure it is thoroughly baked.
11. Remove the cake from the mold, peel off the parchment paper, and let it cool. To prevent the sponge cake from drying out, lightly dampen a paper towel with water and wring it out, then place it over the cake.
Ingredients for Icing:
Fresh cream 100ml
Hojicha powder 6g
Sugar 20-30g
Milk chocolate: Approximately 50g (The weight of one shop-bought chocolate bar is approximately 40-50g in Japan)

Method:
1. Grate the chocolate finely using a grater or similar tool. Add 1g (about a lightly filled teaspoon) of hojicha powder and mix well.
2. In a bowl, combine fresh cream, 5g of hojicha powder, and sugar. Using a hand mixer or whisk, whip the fresh cream until stiff peaks form.
3. Using a knife, slice the sponge cake horizontally in half. Spread half of the whipped cream mixture onto one-half of the sponge cake. Place the other half of the sponge cake on top, then spread the remaining whipped cream mixture over the top and sides.
4. Coat the entire cake with the grated chocolate mixture from step 1. Use your hands to press the chocolate onto the sides of the cake.
Decorate as desired.

If your sponge cake doesn’t rise properly and turns out slightly dense, you can still salvage it by spreading fresh cream on it and chilling it in the refrigerator for a few hours. This will give the sponge a moist texture.
Alternatively, you can transform the dense sponge into a completely different dessert by using yogurt and chocolate to create a “Hojicha Yogurt Tiramisu-style Dessert“.

Related article on the site “Hojicha Yogurt Tiramisu-style Dessert“

*Even if you use the same temperature and time settings, the degree of doneness may vary depending on the oven model and its age. The oven temperatures and times mentioned in this article are only a guide, so please adjust the temperature and time settings to match your specific oven and avoid overcooking or undercooking the food.

*Tea leaves contain caffeine. The diuretic, stimulant and anticancer effects of caffeine intake are clinically recognized. On the other hand, excessive intake of caffeine may have a damaging effect on health. Especially, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and children should be careful with the amount of caffeine they intake.
Please click here for the details of caffeine.

Reference:
農林水産省 カフェインの過剰摂取について
https://www.maff.go.jp/index.html
公益社団法人日本茶業中央会(2013) 新版 茶の機能: ヒト試験から分かった新たな役割 第一刷 一般社団法人農山漁村文化協会
大森正司、阿南豊正、伊勢村護、加藤みゆき、滝口明子、中村羊一郎編(2017) 茶の事典 初版第一刷 朝倉書店
高野實、谷本陽蔵、富田勲、中川致之、岩浅潔、寺本益英、山田新市 (2005) 緑茶の事典 改訂3版 柴田書店

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