10 Oct How To Up Your Baking Game With Matcha

Matcha is the new buzzword when it comes to green beverages with a health kick (read our full article on Matcha here). This stepped-up green tea is a special powdered version that you drink powder and all, but did you know you can also use it in baking up healthy treats with a lovely green tinge too?

Matcha adds a unique aesthetic to your baked goods with its beautiful colour, but also ups their nutritional value with some great benefits:

Exponential Antioxidants: Because you are eating the whole crushed tea lea leaf, you get the full force of the potent antioxidants in green tea and then some. Matcha contains a special antioxidant called EGCg (epigallocatechin gallate) which is known as a catechin. Catechins counteract the effects of free radicals present in our polluted environment and foods which lead to DNA damage, cancer and vulnerability to viruses. Matcha has 6 times the amount of antioxidants found in goji berries and 7 that of dark chocolate.

Mood Uplifting & Anti-aging: Matcha is high theanine, an amino acid that provides a calming and energetic balance to the body. It’s an adaptogen, which means it calms down your adrenals and reduces your production of age-inducing stress hormones such as cortisol, which makes it a fantastic anti-aging tonic.

Important Nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K andprotein, and because it’s the whole leaf, fibre.

Detoxifying: Matcha is super green because of the special way it’s grown, and that means one good thing – chlorophyll. This green wonder is a premium detoxifier that helps you get rid of heavy metals and chemicals

Blood Sugar Benefits: When your body struggles to use insulin properly it’s a sign you could be on your way to developing diabetes. Matcha has been found to increases insulin sensitivity and reduce your risk of diabetes, a disease that is becoming more prevalent these days.

Lady Bonin’s Matcha Green Tea

How To Add Matcha To Your Baking

Matcha has a mild spinach-like taste, so it works to add it to sweetened treats as well as savoury:

• Pasta sauce and pesto add a tablespoon of Matcha powder and mix in. You can make a creamy pasta white sauce to douse your pasta in, then sprinkle with parmesan or nutritional yeast
• Chocolate truffles whisk a tablespoon into the mix and coat them with Matcha for a striking presentation
• Baked treats such as cupcakes (great with chocolate or vanilla), shortbread, cake, biscotti will take on an emerald hue. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon of Matcha powder per cup of flour. You can also make a lovely vibrant green icing for your cakes and cupcakes by mixing in a teaspoon or so of Matcha into your icing mix
• Cheesecake: dairy or nut cheesecakes. Add a about 1 – 2 tablespoons of matcha powder per cup of dairy or nut cheese
• Mix into your baked granola or morning oats

Here’s a recipe or two to inspire your Matcha kitchen adventures into the Green:

Vanilla Matcha Cupcakes

The Red Basket Food Co. 100% Xylitol Icing Dust

Ingredients for the cake
• 1 ¼ cup oat flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup hemp, coconut or dairy milk
• 1/4 cup oil coconut oil
• 1/4 cup raw honey or agave syrup
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12 cupcake cases

For the Frosting

• 2/3 cup coconut oil
• 2/3 cup xylitol icing dust
• 1 tsp matcha powder

How to

The Cupcakes

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Mix the oat flour, ground almonds, salt, baking powder and baking soda together in a bowl
• Mix the coconut oil, egg, milk, honey/agave and vanilla in a separate bowl
• Add the wet mix to the dry and mix thoroughly
• Distribute the mixture between the cupcake cases
• Bake for 25 minutes
• Allow to cool

The Icing

• Combine the coconut oil and icing dust and whisk with an electric mixer til smooth (make sure your coconut oil is solid before you do this, if needs be, cool it down in the fridge)
• Add the Matcha powder and whisk in well to distribute the colour
• Pipe the frosting on the top tips of the cupcakes once they are cool

(Adapted from: http://www.yummly.com/recipe/external/Vanilla-Matcha-Cupcakes-1228046)

Matcha Raspberry Coconut Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup dairy or nut yoghurt
• 3 tablespoons xylitol
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 ½ tablespoon matcha powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Toppings

• Some nut pieces (such as pecans)
• Dried fruit, or fresh berries such as raspberries
• Some extra dairy or nut yoghurt to drizzle

How to:

• Whisk the egg, yogurt, coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla extract together
• Sift in the flour, matcha powder, baking powder, and salt and mix
• The batter is meant to be a bit lumpy (for a change!)
• Brush a non-stick pan with butter or coconut oil and heat over medium heat
• Use a measuring up (or your practiced eye) to drop ¼ cup at a time into the pan
• Wait til the bubbles pop up and then flip
• Fry til browned
• Top by drizzling with dairy or nut cheese, and sprinkling with fresh berries such as raspberries or blueberries and nut pieces.

(adapted from: http://ohyellowfingers.blogspot.sg/2015/01/matcha-raspberry-coconut-pancakes.html)

A Few More Moreish Matcha Suggestions:

Seasoning: Mix one part Matcha green tea powder with two parts sea salt for a seasoning you can sprinkle on your rice, veggie patties and tastes great on eggs.

Marinade: Make some hot matcha tea and add honey, pepper, and sea salt for marinade for tofu, mushrooms or stirfries, or drizzle on rice.

Pasta with Matcha Sauce

• 1 tablespoon matcha powder
• 400g baby marrows
• Handful of raisins that have been soaked in warm water and drained
• ½ cup ground pistachios
• Fresh fennel leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooked pasta (you can take a look at our delicious selection of pastas, including some great gluten-free options here)

How to:

• Slice or cube the baby marrows and sauté in the olive oil
• Add the matcha powder, raisins and nuts
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Add the pasta and fennel leaves with a dash of hot water from the cooked pasta
• Drizzle with olive oil

(Adapted from: http://www.ecceko.com.au/blogs/ecceko/18425127-using-matcha-in-savoury-cooking)

You can add matcha to just about anything you cook, be inspired by green and give it a go!