Green Tea Taisan Loaf Cake
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The cake Taisan from the province of Pampanga is a rich, decadent butter sponge loaf, that is sprinkled with butter and sugar on the top just as it comes out freshly baked from the oven. The Taisan is a very popular pastry in the Philippines, and can be found in a lot of bake shops. I mentioned the Taisan loaf as a top Pampanga dessert for the holidays in the Kapampangan Listorian, an online publication. It is also often given as gifts during the holidays or special events. For this Green Tea Taisan Loaf Cake, I put a lesser amount of butter and omitted the vanilla flavors. Instead, the addition of half a teaspoon of matcha green tea powder made this a superb dessert.
While baking in my American kitchen, I realized that working with green tea or matcha powder requires patience and focus. You have to create a good balance of the right amount of green tea powder mixed into the cake batter. Be careful not to overdo it and be mindful that less than a teaspoon is potent enough to give this Taisan a delicate, elegant flavor. This was the perfect ending to a big meal. It had the texture of a light sponge cake, yet the unique Asian aromas of green tea slowly showing up when you least expected it.
I often bake a green tea cake for my younger son’s birthday this month. He loves green tea flavors and has even baked a round green tea pound cake for me, mixing it by hand. I’ve featured his home-baked green tea cake on another blog post. My son prefers his desserts less rich and less sweet than most. So the simplicity of this green tea loaf cake with its soft, earthy flavor provides the right amount of mild sweetness if one craves a delightful ending to meals. Birthdays mark another year of beginnings. For my son on his birthday, I wish him many more years of birthdays, cakes and celebrations. And may he find the inspiration for hope and energy that matcha green tea always brings.
Green Tea Taisan Loaf Cake
Ingredients
- 8 egg whites
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar for egg whites
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for yolks
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 + 1/4 teaspoons matcha green tea powder
- 1/2 cup water room temperature
- 1/2 cup unsalted melted butter
- 8 egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
- 1 to 2 teaspoons green sugar sprinkles for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line the bottom of two loaf pans, each about 9 x 3 inches, with parchment paper.
- In a separate bowl, using a cake mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar at the highest speed. When there are no more trace of bubbles in the whites, add the 1/4 cup sugar gradually, a teaspoon at a time. Continue beating for 3 to 4 more minutes.
- In another bowl, beat the egg yolks well. Set aside.
- Combine the matcha powder and water in a small bowl. Mix well. Set aside.
- Separately, in a large bowl, put the cake flour and make a well in the center. Pour the beaten egg yolks and the rest of the other ingredients. Beat at low to medium speed till blended.
- Take the bowl of egg whites, and using a spatula, very gently fold in the egg yolk batter till blended. Make sure the whites are incorporated well and there are no white streaks in the cake batter.
- Pour the batter into prepared loaf pans. Bake at 350 F degrees for 35 minutes. To test if cake loaves are done, place the tip of a small knife in the middle. If knife comes clean, cake is ready.
- Cool Taisan cakes on the counter a few minutes, then loosen the sides of the loaf pan with a small, sharp knife. Turn over and remove the paper.
- Sprinkle the top of Taisan loaf cakes with a few tablespoons of green sugar sprinkles.
- COOK'S COMMENTS: An original Taisan de Pampanga recipe is in my cookbook How to Cook Philippine Desserts, Cakes and Snacks, which is sold on Amazon in paperback or Kindle. Click this link to purchase my cookbooks and books or find the Amazon link on my blog's home page.
- *Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos and recipe content I wrote, on your website,books, films, television shows or videos without my permission. If you want to republish this recipe or content on another website, video, news article,or media outlets mentioned above please ASK my permission, re-write it in your own words and simply link back to this blog to give proper attribution. It’s the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
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Nutrition
Nutrition Notes: The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Did you like this recipe? I have more Filipino Instant Pot recipes in my newest cookbook Instant Filipino Recipes: My Mother’s Traditional Philippine Cooking in A Multicooker Pot by Elizabeth Ann Besa-Quirino. Buy my cookbooks and books on Amazon.com sold worldwide in paperback and Kindle format.
Hello, Friends! Please DO NOT LIFT OR PLAGIARIZE my original recipe, stories, photos or videos. All the images and content on this blog are COPYRIGHT PROTECTED and owned by my media company Besa-Quirino LLC. This means BY LAW you are NOT allowed to copy, scrape, lift, frame, plagiarize or use my photos, essays, stories and recipe content on your websites, books, films, television shows, videos, without my permission. If you wish to republish this recipe or content on media outlets mentioned above, please ASK MY PERMISSION, or re-write it in your own words and link back to my blog AsianInAmericaMag.com to give proper attribution. It is the legal thing to do. Thank you. Email me at [email protected]
