I love cooking and baking with teas. Tea is an ingredient that adds flavor, complexity and, in the case of this cake, a bright green color.

This cake recipe is a classic French cookie recipe turned cake with the added ingredient of Japanese Green tea or Matcha.

Matcha or Japanese green tea  is a fine ground, powdered, high quality green tea and not the same as tea powder or green tea powder. While matcha is expensive, the tea delivers not only a beautiful color, but also more antioxidants than blueberries, pomegranates and spinach.

Perfect for Shavuot, this cake is a snap to put together and the layers can be easily baked ahead of serving and frozen.

Matcha powdered is available in fine tea shops, online or in some gourmet shops.

3 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

2 cups ground almonds

12 large egg whites

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons Matcha green tea

Garnishes: melted white chocolate, melted dark chocolate, fresh berries, lightly whipped cream, sea salt

1. Place the butter in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. The butter will foam and separate into white solids and liquid. Then, as it continues to cook, the butter will turn a rich nutty colored brown. Do not walk away from the pan as it can go from perfect brown to black very quickly. Once brown, set aside the butter.
2. Mix the sugar and almonds together in a medium saucepan.  Stir in the egg whites and vanilla, place the pan over low heat, and, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, heat the mixture until the sugar has dissolved and the mix is runny, slightly white and hot to the touch, about 2 minutes. 
3. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour, then gradually mix in the brown butter and green tea. 
4. Transfer the batter to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface of the batter to create an airtight seal, and chill for at least 1 hour.  (The batter can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
5. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Butter 2 8-inch cake pans.
6. Divide the batter between the cake pans. Bake the cakes until they are lightly browned and a tooth pick, inserted, comes out clean (about 25-35 minutes).
7. Cool on a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and unmold the cakes. Drizzle with melted chocolates and sea salt and serve with berries and lightly whipped cream.

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