Lemon Matcha Marble Pound Cake

Moist, mildly nutty and deliciously tangy. This lemon matcha marble pound cake is made with sour cream and topped with a sweet & tart raspberry glaze.

I remember the first time I ever experienced matcha. Where something that is well known in the Asian community became a revelation to me as that matcha and black sesame soft serve ice cream hit my tongue for the first time. H Mart, I will forever be grateful for you.

The who, what and where of Matcha

The word matcha by definition means “powdered tea”. But matcha green tea isn’t just any old green tea. Typically with tea, you dunk the tea leaves in hot water, drink the infused water, and discard the tea bag. With matcha, you are literally drinking the leaves, which have been made into a fine powder for easy consumption.

Although matcha is very complex in flavor. It’s like the Rolls-Royce of green tea. Here are some flavor profiles to help you understand what it tastes like:

• Creamy
• Slightly sweet
• Earthy
• Slightly nutty
• Savory (aka umami)

Matcha is both delicious and nutritious and is rich in antioxidants, which basically makes this cake healthy (at least that’s what I tell myself). The tea leaves themselves are said to have small amounts of vitamins and minerals as well. 

What flavors go well with matcha?

Now if you’re wondering what other flavors go well with matcha? Don’t worry, I got you. Here are some pairings that go well with matcha for you to experiment with: 

• citrus (I used lemon, but any citrus works here)
• berries + fruit (bananas, pineapples, raspberries oh my!)
• vanilla 
• dark chocolate (because duh)

I hope I’ve convinced you of all the delicious-ness matcha has to offer. And if you’re anything like Mary Berry from British Bake Off that thinks matcha tastes like grass… we can’t be friends. Just kidding! I’ll just offer you a higher quality matcha for you to try instead.

The secret to a moist pound cake

The answer is: Fat

Whipped fat allows it to act as a leavening or raising agent in cakes. Which allows for a fluffy cloudlike texture. Creaming butter (at room temperature) is also a very important step, which will trap a ton of tiny air bubbles in your batter, leaving you with light, velvety-textured cake.

First comes butter, then comes sour cream. I know, it sounds strange but sour cream is also a form of fat that when added to your cake will make it both richer and creamier. Yum!

I hope you’ll love this lemon matcha marble pound cake as much as I do! If you do make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Also, feel free to share them on social media, I’d love to see how they came out. Enjoy, friends!!

Lemon Matcha Marble Pound Cake

Nicole Lee

Moist, mildly nutty and deliciously tangy. This lemon matcha pound cake is made with sour cream and topped with a sweet & tart raspberry glaze.

3 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 55 minutes mins

Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

 

Lemon Matcha Marble Pound Cake

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 egg (room temp.)
• 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter (room temp. & diced)
• ¼ cup sour cream
• zest of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup milk
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp matcha powder

Rasberry Glaze

• ¼ cup fresh raspberries
• ¼ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar

Instructions

 

Lemon Matcha Marble Pound Cake

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Use butter to grease a 1lb loaf pan (8.5" X 4.5") and line with parchment paper (butter will allow parchment paper to stick to the pan).
• In a large bowl mix all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
• In a separate bowl, add room temperature butter and sugar. Beat with a mixer at medium speed for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Slowly add eggs into the butter mixture a little at a time. Make sure the eggs are fully incorporated before adding more (do not rush this process). Add in sour cream.
• Sift dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt) into the butter mixture. Fold in dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until combined. Be sure not to overmix. Add vanilla extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Fold into batter.
• In a separate bowl, add matcha and milk. Whisk until matcha is smooth and no lumps are visible. Add a quarter of the batter in with matcha and fold together with a rubber spatula until combined.
• Use a rubber spatula to add dollops of matcha batter into the other batter. Carefully fold the matcha into the batter a few times until you start to see a swirl pattern (no not overmix or the batter will end up turning solid green). Pour batter into the loaf pan and smooth out the top without mixing any further.
• Bake for 55 minutes. A skewer should come out clean when inserted into the cake. That is the indicator that the cake is done. A skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean. Let the cake cool in the loaf pan for around 15 minutes. Before removing it from the pan.

Raspberry Glaze

• Add raspberries to a sieve and strain. Add vanilla extract, and slowly add powdered sugar little by little (otherwise, you might get powdered sugar everywhere!). Whisk until smooth.
• Once cooled, remove the cake from the loaf pan and drizzle glaze on top and allow it to run down the sides of the cake. Top with additional raspberries on top if you'd like and enjoy!

Notes

1. Monitor your butter’s temperature. If it gets too warm, it will melt and the emulsion will break leaving you with a dry and crumbly cake (ick). If your butter is too cold, your cake may not rise properly.

Keyword lemon, matcha, moist