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Matcha Mochi Cake

January 19, 2012 by Jennifer Che 66 Comments

Matcha Mochi Cake

Over the holiday break, I received the most interesting e-mail from a friend.

Dear Jen:

I have a serious proposition for you.

[Our friend] gave me a taste of your green tea mochi that you made for his birthday. It was SOOOOO good!

If you would be willing to make me a batch, I’ll pay you for it.

Please consider!

What a proposition! I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone offer to pay me for my baked goods! Usually I’m happy enough if people enjoy my cooking.

In any event, this green tea mocha is easy to make and definitely a crowd pleaser. The friend for whom I made it? He ate an entire loaf in one morning.

Yeah, it’s that good.
Matcha Mochi Cake
Matcha powder is the key ingredient in this recipe. Matcha is finely milled shade-grown dried tea leaves.  During the last few weeks before harvest, tea plants are covered and protected from the sun. This act causes the tea leaves to grow more slowly, become darker, and produce much more amino acids, which results in a sweeter tasting tea. The best buds are picked, dried, and crumbled up.Matcha Mochi Cake
These crumbled leaves can then be milled into a fine powder. Drinking matcha involves adding hot water to this fine, bright green powder and drinking it whole.
Matcha Mochi Cake
Matcha boasts even more health benefits than normal green tea because you are drinking the entire tea leave whole instead of just steeping the leaf and extracting certain flavors from it.  Matcha is packed full of anti-oxidants, having a more concentrated boost than pomegranates, blueberries, and spinach.

Because of the involved process required to make matcha, matcha costs a lot more than other green teas. A tiny little can of the stuff from Japan can cost you close to $20.
Matcha Mochi Cake
I think it’s worth spending the money on good matcha, because the quality of the flavor influences the flavor of your dessert so directly.

Enjoy!

Matcha Mochi Cake
1 lb glutinous rice flour
2 T matcha powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups milk
2 cups sugar
3 eggs, beaten

 Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Add to 2 well greased loaf pans (or 1 bundt pan) and bake at 350 ° F for at least one hour depending on the pan.  Cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out cleanly.

Let cool completely before trying to removing from the pan! Otherwise it will get stuck and you will be very, very sorry.

Note: this dish was made for the Gojee (Virtual) Potluck.
Starting on Thursday, January 26, check out other potluck dishes fellow gojee contributors shared. Go to gojee.com and enter “gojeepotluck” into I Crave. You can also follow #gojeepotluck on Twitter.

Giveaway is still going on! The odds are pretty good right now. I am giving away three personally autographed copies of Nina Simonds’ new book Simple Asian Meals. Enter the giveaway here.

©2009-2014 Tiny Urban Kitchen
All Rights Reserved

Filed Under: Baking, Dessert, Japanese Tagged With: baking, cake

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Comments

  1. priyanka bhattacharjee says

    January 19, 2012 at 8:56 am

    Great recipe. M looking for Matcha since long wanna try a cake 🙂 

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  2. Stella Wang says

    January 19, 2012 at 11:06 am

    Looks delicious! Where do you buy your matcha when you are in the states?

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  3. mchan says

    January 19, 2012 at 11:58 am

    hahah. hopefully H will get her fix now!

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  4. Alvina says

    January 19, 2012 at 5:40 pm

    Where can you get Matcha here in Cambridge/Boston?

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    • Susan says

      March 15, 2014 at 4:51 pm

      I get my Matcha from Amazon.com.

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  5. jentinyurbankitchen says

    January 19, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    Hi Alvina,

    My current batch of matcha I
    got at Ranch 99 in California, but I am guessing that larger markets
    like Super 88 would have it too (Maeda-en brand, pretty universal). One
    of my readers told me she gets them in bulk at H-Mart for a pretty good
    price. I’m not sure of the quality of the bulk one though. Maybe try
    Ebisuya Japanese market in Medford? There’s also a small Japanese market
    at Porter Square called Miso Market – they might have it too, though I haven’t actually
    looked.

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  6. jentinyurbankitchen says

    January 19, 2012 at 5:47 pm

    Hi Stella,

    My current batch of matcha I got at Ranch 99 in California, but I am
    guessing that larger markets like Super 88 would have it too (Maeda-en
    brand, pretty universal). One of my readers told me she gets them in
    bulk at H-Mart for a pretty good price. I’m not sure of the quality of
    the bulk one though. Maybe try Ebisuya Japanese market in Medford?
    There’s also a small Japanese market at Porter Square called Miso Market
    – they might have it too, though I haven’t actually looked.

    Log in to Reply
  7. Stephanie says

    January 20, 2012 at 8:18 pm

    I love these things!  They’re SO easy to make, easier than the traditional New Year’s cake.  I’ve done a sesame version, rose, red bean matcha, or just plain red bean.  I’ve wanted to do just matcha, but I didn’t know the proper amount, so I just stayed on the conservative side.  Well, now I know 🙂

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  8. Tina says

    January 20, 2012 at 8:42 pm

    Mmm! These are baking as we speak. I added some homemade red bean paste and replaced the milk with coconut milk…hope it turns out good!

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  9. Christina says

    January 21, 2012 at 9:04 am

    What kind of milk? Whole, 1%, 2%, or skim?

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  10. jentinyurbankitchen says

    January 21, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    I think any of them would work. I used 2%, but I think it’s pretty flexible!

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  11. Fruling16 says

    January 22, 2012 at 10:05 am

    Thanks! I only asked because some other baked goods call for whole milk and I never buy whole! Looking forward to making this as soon as I get my hands on matcha. 🙂

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  12. Garsleat says

    January 24, 2012 at 10:14 pm

    I loooove matcha. When I was in Japan, I feasted on bakery matcha cupcake twice a week. Not figure friendly, but oh so good. Happy New Year!

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  13. Bobawu says

    January 27, 2012 at 12:13 pm

    Please bring to East Coast ITASA conference in Feb to share:) My tummy will be in wild anticipation!

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  14. Ar says

    January 30, 2012 at 12:57 am

    After putting half in a pan, I realized there was no way I was waiting for 2 pans to bake, so I made the other half into crepes, for immediate consumption. BEST. CREPES. EVAH. Didn’t wait for them to cool, didn’t regret it at all. ;-> Perfect with red bean paste, and with chocolate ice cream. Thanks for the recipe!

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  15. jentinyurbankitchen says

    February 3, 2012 at 2:01 pm

     Cool! I had no idea you could make crepes. What a fantastic idea. 🙂 Thanks for sharing.

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  16. Alice says

    February 6, 2012 at 12:02 am

    Delicious recipe, tried it today and it turned out well.  Thanks! =)

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  17. Hashim says

    March 30, 2012 at 12:20 am

    Just found this blog while searching some stuff and healthy looking matcha mochi cake. I will try this cake tonight and will share my reviews soon.
    personal trainer san antonio

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  18. Asia says

    April 20, 2012 at 3:14 pm

    Hi, by 
    2 T matcha powder, do you mean teaspoons or what?

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  19. Jennifer Che says

    April 20, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    “T” means tablespoons. Sorry for the confusion!

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  20. Jennifer Che says

    April 20, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    You’re welcome! Sorry for the late response!

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  21. Jennifer Che says

    April 20, 2012 at 3:29 pm

    Sorry! Maybe next time!! 🙂

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  22. Hmulee says

    May 11, 2012 at 10:31 pm

    I got my FIX!

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  23. Zachary Elwyn says

    September 9, 2012 at 8:13 pm

    Just made this tonight. Came out nicely, but wondering how to store and how long it wil stay good.. Any suggestions? https://www.dropbox.com/s/sp2s2ep9bnxzeul/2012-09-09%2019.57.40.jpg

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  24. Jennifer Che says

    September 9, 2012 at 11:33 pm

    Yum, that looks fantastic! I have kept it sealed in a plastic container (like tupperware or something like that) for up to a week. It may dry out slightly, but other than that it keeps pretty well. I personally love toasting it just a bit before eating. You can also microwave quickly to soften it if it gets hard. I’ve never tried refrigerating it. I think it would get really hard!

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  25. Chickykid says

    January 13, 2013 at 2:24 am

    I have tried this recipe many times and love it. The only problem I’m having is that there are a lot of holes in the mochi. BIG holes. It’s almost as if I let in too much air. Do you know what I’m doing wrong? Is it the way I’m putting the batter in the pan?

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  26. Jennifer Che says

    January 30, 2013 at 1:03 am

    I’m not sure what’s wrong. 🙁 Would it help if you tapped the pan a couple times to remove potential air bubbles? Good luck!

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  27. Ellen says

    August 13, 2013 at 12:01 pm

    Hi Jen, I enjoyed this recipe very much. Tried it w/coconut milk and it was just a tad too sweet. I’m baking it again w/regular (cow’s) milk and also subtracting a couple of T of sugar to see what happens. I’d also suggest sifting the matcha powder) through a tea strainer to get rid of lumps–before mixing in the wet ingredients. Thanks!

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  28. Jennifer Che says

    August 13, 2013 at 1:01 pm

    Hi Ellen – thanks for the tip about sifting the matcha. I always got those unsightly lumps that almost looked like mold, lol. Hope your next batch turns out well! 🙂

    Jen

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  29. Jennifer Che says

    August 13, 2013 at 1:02 pm

    You’re welcome! 🙂

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  30. Jas says

    August 14, 2013 at 3:07 pm

    Hi Jen,
    Just a quick question! Do you have and recommendations on what brand of rice flour to use? Or where I can purchase some?
    Thanks!

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  31. Jennifer Che says

    August 14, 2013 at 3:22 pm

    Hi Jas,
    I’ve used Mochiko and the green colored bag (from Southeast Asia) and they both work fine. You can find these in most Asian grocery stores. I think certain normal supermarkets *might* sell Mochiko. Make sure you buy “sweet” rice flour, not normal rice flour.
    Best of luck!
    Jen

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  32. MO says

    November 17, 2013 at 2:39 am

    Hi, can I subsitute the 2 cups of milk with 1 can of evaporated milk for this recipe?

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  33. Jennifer Che says

    December 6, 2013 at 1:09 am

    HI Mo,
    I’ve never tried substituting. I would think that if you added only 1 can of evaporated milk you might have to make up for the liquid loss by possibly adding a cup of water? I’m not sure.
    Jen

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  34. Alina says

    February 24, 2015 at 11:14 pm

    This recipe sounds so good and can’t wait to try it! I was wondering how sweet is this cake? I’m not a fan of overly sweet things so I’m wondering of I can reduce just the sugar and still make a successful cake.

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    • Jennifer Che says

      February 25, 2015 at 5:37 pm

      You can definitely try reducing the sugar and make a successful cake, I think. I personally don’t think it’s too sweet (and I’m kind of sensitive), but you could probably reduce the sugar a bit. Try it and let me know how it works!

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  35. Samantha says

    March 30, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    Hi Jen – I just wanted to thank you so much for this recipe! I’ve recently started a personal food blog, and just posted my attempt at your recipe (http://sundayswithsam.com/matcha-mochi-cake/). Hope that’s okay.. and thank you again!

    Samantha

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    • Jennifer Che says

      March 31, 2015 at 12:40 am

      So glad you enjoyed it! Congrats on starting a food blog. It looks great! 🙂

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  36. Salena says

    July 21, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    i was wondering if you tried it with either coconut oil or olive oil instead of vegetable oil? Didn’t know if it changed anything

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    • Jennifer Che says

      July 22, 2015 at 9:35 am

      I have tried making a similar mochi cake with coconut milk and butter, which works out quite well. I describe both versions of the recipe in this post on a similar pumpkin mochi cake:

      https://tinyurbankitchen.com/project-food-blog-round-8-unusual-take/

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  37. Alyssa says

    October 18, 2015 at 12:19 am

    Mmmmm, it’s like a matcha latte in mochi cake form! I used some of the batter to make mini cakes with my mini muffin tin and they turned out great! Next time I would fill the cups almost all the way to the top since they don’t rise a lot, but they were perfect bite size!

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  38. Esther says

    November 5, 2015 at 3:40 pm

    Tried this and it was great!

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  39. DJ says

    March 10, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    Beautiful matcha mochi, there’s a Japanese food fair near me so i have the sudden urge to make matcha mochi. I googled and saw your photo of your is the only one that attracted me.

    so after some research i realise other recipes don’t contain eggs, may I know what does the eggs do? Can I leave them out?

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  40. Elaine says

    March 27, 2016 at 9:14 am

    I am making this for my mom’s birthday cake! I hope it turns out ok. Thank you for posting this recipe! I also added red bean paste to mine. Baking in the oven now!

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  41. Marco says

    July 9, 2016 at 11:21 am

    Nice recipe. Came out okay I guess when I tried it. I only did half the recipe. Wasn’t sure about how long to cook it, but about 3/4 of the original time. It looked perfect, sadly when I cooled it to take it out of the pan, the bottom and sides were overcooked, hard and stuck like glue. I was sooo upset =( Why do you think that happened? Too long in the oven? Wrong pan? Not enough grease (I used butter as I always do when I bake)?

    But, it tasted great. Looking forward to adjust and experiment with other ingredients =) Thanks for sharing this recipe Jen

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  42. Michelle says

    August 18, 2016 at 12:49 pm

    Hi there!

    I just made this the other day and loved it. Have you tried using cocoa powder in place of matcha to make it chocolate mochi? I love the simple ingredients in this recipe, and am thinking of trying different “flavors” – have you been successful in that?

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    • Jennifer Che says

      August 29, 2016 at 9:14 pm

      Hi Michelle,
      Ha ha, yes. In fact, I originally decided to add matcha instead of red bean paste, which was the original recipe that my mom gave me. I think I’ve tried coffee as well, which didn’t taste that different. I think I needed to add more coffee, or use espresso powder!
      Jen

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  43. Rhian @ Rhian's Recipes says

    September 19, 2016 at 12:26 pm

    Made this the other day and it was SO delicious – thanks so much for the great recipe!

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    • Jennifer Che says

      September 20, 2016 at 12:08 am

      Thanks!
      Jen

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  44. Lu says

    January 23, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    Hi! How long does this cake keep for?

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    • Jennifer Che says

      January 31, 2017 at 12:38 am

      I think it begins to dry out after a couple days, but otherwise I’ve never had it go bad on me. I would reheat by either microwaving or toasting in the toaster oven!

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  45. Catherine Nguyen says

    January 23, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    Can i use almond milk instead of milk?

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    • Jennifer Che says

      January 31, 2017 at 12:37 am

      I’ve never tried, but I would imagine that it would work OK. It’s a pretty flexible recipe!

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  46. Linda Wong says

    March 29, 2017 at 7:12 am

    Hi Jen –
    This was so delicious I pretty much ate the entire loaf! I’d like to make a version with cocoa powder and chocolate chips – how much of each ingredient would you recommend?
    Thanks!
    Linda

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    • Jennifer Che says

      April 6, 2017 at 11:23 pm

      Ooh, that sounds amazing. Not sure how much I’d recommend, maybe try starting with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder?

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  47. Mel says

    November 25, 2017 at 12:03 pm

    I just made this and it came out delicious. It was a hit. Saved for next time. Thanks!!

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  48. Maggie says

    December 7, 2017 at 7:28 pm

    Hi! I’m excited to try this cake, but I don’t have a scale – how many cups of flour does that end up being? Thanks!

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  49. mymy says

    December 9, 2017 at 2:15 am

    I have been making this for years! I use coconut oil and I cut the sugar by half… it is ALWAYS a hit. Thank you so much.

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  50. Winnie Ng says

    April 20, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    Hi there, can you tell me how many cups is equivalent to 1 lb of glutinous rice flour?

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  51. Claudia says

    April 22, 2020 at 11:07 pm

    My favorite mocha cake recipe EVER!!!!
    Seriously, I will pass this on to my kids <3

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Welcome to Tiny Urban Kitchen!

JenChe

Hi, my name's Jen and welcome to my cooking, eating, and travel site! I am a Boston to Hong Kong transplant, born and raised in Ohio with parents from Taiwan. Feel free to head on over to the About page if you want to learn more about me, or just explore away, maybe starting with the Recipe Index or one of the travel pages! I hope you enjoy this site!
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