This Matcha & Mandarin cake was fantastic, I loved it still slightly warm from the oven with the icing still runny (actually I couldn't wait for it to cool down it smelt so good). This recipe is a conversion of a wheat based recipe that appeared in the August 2016 Bake the Issue edition of Taste magazine.

This recipe was designed specifically to be made with Bakers' Magic gluten free flour. The finished baked product will not be the same if you use another gluten free flour and you will need to adjust the recipe, particularly if the flour you're using contains rice flour.

 

Ingredients

Cake

340 g Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour

1 tsp Baking powder

1 tsp Bicarb of soda 

1 tbs Fresh ginger

1 tsp Vanilla bean paste

300 g Butter (room temperature)

270 g Caster sugar

3 Eggs

Zest from 3 mandarins

75 g Mandarin juice + extra 20 g

55 g Almond meal

275 g Buttermilk

2.5 tsp Matcha powder (~6 g)

 

Matcha powder - I bought my Green tea matcha powder at a health food store ($24 for 70 g). The original recipe used 5 tsp of matcha powder (~12 g), this amount made the dough very stiff & it was hard to get a good swirling pattern. 

 

Mandarin Icing

115 g Icing sugar

25 g Mandarin juice

Zest of mandarin

 

Sugared Mandarin zest

50 g Caster sugar

125 g Water

Long pieces of mandarin zest

extra caster sugar

 

Mandarins - You will need a minimum of 3 juicy mandarins. I used Alfouris as their zest colour was a really deep orange. 

 

Method

Preheat oven to 160 C (fan forced).

Grease a 26 cm non-stick bundt pan or use a cake ring tin if you don't have a bundt pan.

Combine together the Bakers' Magic Gluten free flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda & almond meal (flour mix).

Using a stand mixer or hand held electric beaters cream the butter, sugar, zest, ginger & vanilla.

Add in one egg & beat until combined. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Add in the flour mix & gently combine.

Mix in 1/2 the mandarin juice & 1/2 the buttermilk until combined.

Add in the remaining buttermilk & juice. I usually fold in the last of the liquid ingredients.

Put 550 g of dough into another mixing bowl. Add in the matcha powder & 20 g of mandarin juice & stir to combine.

Place spoonfuls of the two cake batters randomly into the bundt pan. Use a blunt knife to create a swirled effect. 

Put the bundt pan in the oven & bake for ~45 - 50 mins. The length of time will depend on your oven, if in doubt insert a skewer into the centre of the cake if it comes out clean the cake is ready.

Bring the pan out of the oven & allow to cool for ~5 mins before turning the cake out on to a cooling rack. Allow to cool considerably before putting on the icing.

Icing - mix together the sugar, zest & juice until it has a uniform consistency, allow it to sit for ~10 mins to thicken slightly. Drizzle the icing over the cake. Top with sugared mandarin zest.

Sugared mandarin zest - Combine the sugar with the water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cut long thin strips of mandarin zest & place them in the sugar water. Simmer the zest for ~20 mins. Transfer to some baking paper & when cool toss in caster sugar.

Simply enjoy!