Matcha Swiss Roll

Sponge cake sheet

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a jelly roll pan (15" x 10") with parchment paper.

Separate the egg yolks and egg whites into 2 large mixing bowls.

Whisk together egg yolks, milk and oil until mixed. Sift and whisk in cake flour, cornstarch and baking powder into the egg yolk mixture until homogenous.

In the bowl with the egg whites, beat the egg whites, sugar and salt with an electric mixer until stiff peak is formed, around 5-6 minutes.

Using a spatula, fold in the egg white into the egg yolk mixture until no white streaks are present

Pour the batter into the lined jelly roll pan. Spread the batter evenly using a spatula or a bench scraper. Tap the pan a few times to remove any air bubble in the batter.

Bake the cake for 9-11 minutes, or until a toothpick comes up clean when inserted into the sponge. Make sure not to over bake the cake, or it will be too dry to roll during assembly.

The process of handling the cake after it comes of the oven may be somewhat confusing. I have included a video from Just One Cookbook in the Tips section to show you how it is done. I highly recommend watching the video demonstration! Regardless, steps 9-11 are the written instructions of the process.

Have 2 pieces of parchment paper as big as the baking tray ready. Right after taking the cake out of the oven, place a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake. Wearing oven mitts, flip the baking pan with the top parchment paper (i.e. the cake should be sandwiched in the middle of 2 pieces of parchment paper). Remove the baking pan and peel the parchment paper carefully from the cake. The side of the cake you are seeing will be the surface of the rolled cake.

Place the second piece of parchment paper on top of the cake. Flip the cake again and remove the top parchment paper. Cut off one of the short ends diagonally, thus helping the Swiss roll to close its seam later on when it is ready for assembly.

The cake should still be warm at this age. Starting from the uncut short end, roll the cake with the bottom parchment paper. Once it is rolled up, cover the roll and parchment paper with a kitchen towel. Place it on a wire rack and let cool completely.

Matcha cream filling

While the cake is cooling, prepare the whipped cream. In a cool metal bowl, place heavy cream, matcha powder and sugar in the bowl.

Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until firm, or until stiff peaks are formed. Wrap and place the cream in the refrigerator until the cake is completely cooled.

Cake Assembly

Prepare another piece of parchment paper, or re-use any of the previous parchment paper that does not have any cake crumbs stuck on them.

Unroll the now cooled cake. Spread the whipped cream evenly onto the cake, while leaving a 1/2" border on all sides.

Roll the cake from the uncut short end. The seam should be resting on the bottom of the roll. Using a parchment paper, wrap the Swiss roll tightly in the middle, leaving excess paper on both ends. Twist the excess parchment paper on either ends to secure the roll. The end product should look like a giant candy! Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.

Once it is ready to serve, unwrap the parchment paper. Optional: Trim off both ends of the Swiss roll to reveal the beautiful swirl of the cake.