Matcha and Red Bean Genoise Cake

For the genoise

Prepare a 15cm (~6 inch) tin lined with parchment paper or teflon sheet and preheat the oven to 150C (300F) fan-assisted.

Beat egg whites at high speed. Gradually add in the sugar, one third at a time. Once all the sugar has been added, reduce to low speed until soft peaks form. 

Add egg yolks and whisk until combined. 

Sift half of the cake flour with matcha powder and salt into the batter and whisk in. Once incorporated, add the remaining dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. 

Mix the milk and oil (warmed for 20 seconds) then pour into batter. Use a silicone spatula to combine. Fold slowly and gently. Always check the bottom of the bowl. 

Add vanilla extract and fold gently. 

Pour batter into cake tin. Tap the cake tin on the counter several times. Use a chopstick to remove bubbles. Tap a few more times. 

Bake for 40 minutes.

Remove cake from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before removing the cake from the tin. Allow to cool fully before slicing cake into layers (I sliced mine into three layers and removed the top dome layer). 

To assemble

Add heavy cream, matcha powder and powdered sugar to a large bowl. Whip to soft peaks using electric mixer. 

Place one layer of cake sponge onto a board and add about 1/4 of whipped cream to cake and smooth out. 

Add half of the red beans on top. Repeat with the next layer of cake sponge. 

Add remaining whipped cream to outside of cake and smooth with a cake scraper. The outer piping design is optional. I used a piping tip 1M for the top, 1A for the bottom, and 150 for the ruffles on the side of the cake.