I decided earlier this year to make a matcha sponge based log cake with fresh berries and cream for my extended family this Christmas because it looks so Christmasy. But I saw the log cabin cake that joyfulhomecooking (Instagram account) made and fell in love with it! I stayed true to the flavour profile I originally planned into the cabin cake and this is what I came up with!
The insides still looks Christmasy!
Composition:
- Matcha honey chiffon sponge cake layers
- Stabilized fresh cream between matcha sponge layers and on the roof
- Fresh strawberries between matcha sponge layers and on the roof, and blueberries on the roof as well
- Hojicha Swiss meringue buttercream to coat the layered sponge assembly
- Iced brown sugar cookies for external decorations
- Lady's finger sponges for the roof. You may make your own from scratch but I bought mine from a baking supplies store.
I made one cake earlier for my immediate family just so I could destroy the cake and share the content and recipe earlier for those of you who want to make this.
It's really yums!
The cake is light and refreshing, and the Hojicha buttercream tastes like Hojicha latte with a secret ingredient added!
The whole project may seem like a massive undertaking but the good news is, the components can be broken down into manageable blocks of time for those of us with busy schedules. I will share the components in the order you should be making.
See the process of making the cake in this reel:
1. Brown Sugar Cookie Decorations
The iced brown sugar cookie recipe can be found here. You may choose to omit the cinnamon or replace with a gingerbread spice mix if you wish.
Iced cookies!
Windows: 3 cm x 5cm
Doors: 3.5cm x 6cm
Use the smallest cookie cutters you have for other decorations. Feel free to adjust dimensions according to your preference.
2. Matcha Honey Chiffon Sponge
(12x16" tray)
5 large eggs, separated
10g matcha
55g hot water
16g honey
1.5 tsp vanilla
64g oil
87g cake flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
75g caster sugar
1. Make egg yolk batter. In a small bowl, whisk together matcha powder & hot water. Add honey & whisk until smooth. Sieve into large mixing bowl.
2. Add oil, salt & vanilla. Mix well
3. Sift in flour & whisk until combined
4. Add egg yolks & whisk until smooth. Set aside
5. Make the meringue. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until firm peaks, adding sugar gradually once egg whites are foamy.
6. Fold meringue into yolk batter in 3 additions. Pour into baking tray lined with Teflon sheet or parchment paper. Feel free to use alternative baking tray sizes because the sponges will be cut into pieces anyway.
7. Bake in preheated oven at 160C fan/170C 12-15 min or till done
8. Immediately flip onto a fresh sheet of parchment paper to cool completely. Cut into pieces for assemby Wrap in double layer of cling film to freeze if not assembling yet.
Dimensions:
- 11cm x 21cm 3 pieces of sponge
- 7cm x 21cm 1 piece of sponge
- 4cm x 21cm 1 piece of sponge
- 2.5cm x 21cm 1 piece of sponge
3. Hojicha Swiss meringue buttercream
145-155g egg whites (about 4)
1/8 tsp salt
130g sugar
280g unsalted butter, slightly softened
16g Hojicha powder
4g dark cocoa powder (optional, for darker brown & added richness)
16-20g milk powder*
145-155g egg whites (about 4)
1/8 tsp salt
130g sugar
280g unsalted butter, slightly softened
16g Hojicha powder
4g dark cocoa powder (optional, for darker brown & added richness)
16-20g milk powder*
* You may toast the milk powder for a caramel flavour as well! To toast, bake in a thin layer in the oven at 140C, stirring every 8-10 min until golden brown but not too dark. Total duration depends on whether you are toasting in bulk or small amounts. Milk powder adds stability to the buttercream too.
1. Double boil egg whites with salt & sugar, whisking constantly until mixture reaches 71.1C.
2. Whip till stiff, glossy peak.
3. Add butter 1tbs at a time. Continue beating 8-10 min on med-high speed until light & fluffy.
4. Add hojicha, cocoa & milk powder during the last min of beating until incorporated.
5. Use immersion blender for a shiny & smoother buttercream to finish off. You may use immediately with 8mm piping tip or freeze in airtight condition until use if making ahead of time. Mix again with immersion blender after defrosting. If making it ahead by a day, you may refrigerate the buttercream. Let it soften slightly at room temperature before using an immersion blender to mix until smooth & creamy.
4. Fresh Berries
Slices of strawberries should be prepared just before assembly and before whipping the fresh cream. I sliced the strawberries to a thickness of about 1cm. Place cut surface on paper towels to absorb excess moisture. You may prepare this up to several hours in advance, keeping the cut fruits in the fridge until assembly.
5. Stabilized whipped cream
220g + 30g heavy cream*
200g non-dairy cream*
1 tsp vanilla extract
8g gelatin bloomed in 32g ice water
* You may use all dairy, non-dairy or your own preferred ratio of creams. If using only dairy, add a little icing sugar to taste. The non-dairy whipping cream I use is pre-sweetened. I use a mix for better stability in hot Singapore but still tastes good.
1. Place 220g of heavy cream, non-dairy cream & vanilla extract in a cold mixing bowl. Whip cream until soft peaks.
2. Melt bloomed gelatin using microwave or by immersing in another bowl of hot water.
3. Add 30g of cream into melted gelatin & mix well
4. Pour 3. into 1 in a thin stream while whisking the whipped cream by hand. Continue whipping until firm peaks.
5. Transfer into piping bag & use immediately. If storing overnight or for 1h or more in the fridge, you will need to stir the whipped cream with a spatula again to smoothen it out before transferring into piping bag. Pipe the cream onto the cake using 1cm diameter piping tip
6. Assembly
Assembly can be spread over two days as well to make it manageable.
1. Layer the matcha sponge, fresh cream and strawberries as shown in the reel. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for 2 hours.
2. Pipe hojicha buttercream over the assembly and smoothen it out with a spatula. Melting small amounts of the cream to smear it horizontally along walls of the log cabin will create a natural subtle wood grain effect.
3. Add cookie decorations
4. Add lady's finger sponges for the roof
5. Pipe fresh cream on the roof
6. Add fresh berries on the rooftop
Refrigerate the cake for at least a few hours before serving. You may store the cake in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
I made the flavour profile not too strongly of matcha so that kids can enjoy this cake as well. If you prefer a stronger matcha flavour, brush the matcha sponge with matcha syrup during assembly before layering the fresh cream and fruits. Alternatively, add matcha powder to the fresh cream.
Wishing you a blessed Christmas in advance!
with lots of love,
Phay Shing
