Matcha Black Sesame

i've been doing alot of sliced cakes lately. not that i'm terribly fond of them but i'm trying to practice on my cake slicing. slicing cakes may be a simple thing but to do them evenly and neatly? not easy! i seriously could use more practice but i can't possibly be baking everyday so its a shame really.

matcha sponge, matcha mousse, black sesame mousse & sesame nougatine

anyway i was craving for a matcha cake and i decided to come up with my own "creation". each component is taken from a different recipe and for a moment i couldn't really decide what to pair it with. matcha is rather versatile and it goes well with either chocolate, adzuki bean, chestnut or black sesame but i decided to go with a black sesame mousse in the center coz i've not made it before.

overall taste is good and much better than i anticipated! i really like this cake alot even tho' its put together using four different recipes and i had no idea what the outcome would be like. the sweetness is just right and the sesame nougatine gave it a nice buttery crunch. you can even crush the nougatine and add it in one of the layers if you like. i hv a liking for extremely strong matcha so that means i can add as much matcha as i want when i make my own cake. i must say that so far, all matcha cakes i've tasted outside are just really disappointing coz they just aren't potent enough. glad to hv found one right in my own kitchen. coupled with a good book and homemade matcha latte, life just can't get any better!

recipe sources : crave - cheese desserts to die for by mac woo & june lee (matcha sponge & syrup), seiji tada for patisserie igrekplus (sesame mousse as adapted from hazelnut mousse), kanae kobayashi for patisserie kanae (matcha mousse), le cordon bleu tokyo (sesame nougatine)

ingredients (makes one 6" square entremet) :

for the matcha sponge :

2 tsps matcha powder

1 & 1/3 tbsp hot water

50g cake flour

2 eggs, separated

60g sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 & 1/3 tbsp butter, melted & cooled

for the matcha mousse :

160ml milk

5g matcha powder

50g sugar

6g sheet gelatin

120ml whipping cream

for the black sesame mousse :

50g black sesame paste

20g butter, softened

90ml whipping cream

2 egg yolks

18ml water

6g glucose syrup

12g caster sugar

2g sheet gelatin

for the matcha soaking syrup :

1 & 1/2 tsp matcha powder

1 tbsp warm water

45ml water

45g sugar

for the sesame nougatine :

25g glucose syrup

5ml water

65g unsalted butter

75g sugar

25g black sesame seeds

25g white sesame seeds

pinch of fleur de sel

directions :

1. to make the matcha sponge, dissolve matcha in hot water. sift cake flour & set aside. whisk yolks with 2 tsp sugar & vanilla until pale and fluffy then whisk in matcha mixture. in another bowl whisk together rest of sugar & egg whites until stiff peaks. fold in whites & yolks together, followed by cake flour & melted butter. pour mixture in 7" square tin and bake on 180C for 20 mins or until skewer inserted into the middle of cake comes out clean.

2. to make the matcha mousse, mix together matcha powder & sugar together in a bowl. heat milk over stove until boiling and pour into matcha/sugar mixture & whisk until smooth. add in softened gelatin and leave to cool. strain mixture. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks and fold into above.

3. to make the black sesame mousse, make the pate a bombe by heating sugar, glucose syrup and water until 121C. lightly whisk egg yolks and pour in hot sugar mixture and whisk on high speed until pale, fluffy and the bowl is cool to the touch. meanwhile, microwave black sesame paste until warm, then add in softened butter and mix well. add the black sesame mixture into the egg yolk mixture, then heat on stove until 85C. soak gelatine in cold water until soft, squeeze off excess water and add into the above mixture. strain mixture and leave to cool. whisk whipping cream until soft peaks, add in 1/3 of the cream into the above, followed by the rest of the cream.

4. to make the matcha syrup, combine matcha powder, sugar and water and heat until sugar and matcha powder has dissolved completely. set aside and leave to cool.

5. to make the sesame nougatine, melt glucose syrup on low heat then add in water, butter and fleur de sel. when completely melted add in sugar and heat until boiling. remove from heat then stir in the sesame seeds and mix well. quickly pour mixture on silpat then put another silpat on top and roll out thinly. chill in fridge until set, remove the silpat on top and bake on 170C for 10-15 mins until bubbles appear. leave to cool and break into pieces.

6. to assemble, slice the sponge horizontally into two layers. place one slice of the sponge at the bottom of a 6" square cake ring, then brush generously with syrup. pour half the matcha mousse onto the sponge and refrigerate until firm. pour the sesame mousse on top then place another slice of sponge on top. brush sponge with the rest of the syrup then pour in the rest of the matcha mousse. freeze cake until firm. release cake from ring, trim sides and slice into desired size and decorate with the sesame nougatine.