This Matcha Chiffon Cake is spongy, moist, and light as a cloud. Its lightly sweet flavor balances perfectly with earthy and savory notes from Japanese green tea powder. With its soft green matcha color, you’ll love this popular Japanese cake as a light afternoon snack.
Making chiffon cake was one of my dreams since I started baking regularly last year. I always thought it was going to be difficult to make a chiffon cake. However, after some lengthy experiments with my Castella recipe, this Matcha Chiffon Cake (抹茶シフォンケーキ) was a lot easier than I expected.
If you are new to chiffon cake, it is a very light sponge cake made with vegetable oil, eggs, sugar, flour, and whatever flavor you want to add. You beat the egg whites and fold them into the oil-based cake batter so that the cake will get a fluffy texture.
Tips on Making Matcha Chiffon Cake
1. Use the correct chiffon cake pan.
The best types are the aluminum ones with a removable base (Do not use non-stick bakeware for chiffon cake – it will not work).
I bought 17-cm and 20-cm aluminum chiffon cake pans while I was in Japan because I wanted to follow a Japanese chiffon cake recipe. If you are interested in the same pan and know someone in Japan who can receive the package for you, you can purchase one from Rakuten (かっぱ橋浅井商店つなぎ目のない17cmシフォンケーキ型). They are great!
Or, you can order this 17-cm aluminum chiffon cake pan online from Nihon Ichiban which ships internationally.
If you have a different size chiffon cake pan, then check the conversion of the ingredients in this post.
2. Do not grease the mold.
The cake needs to cling to the sides and center of the pan for support as it rises or it will collapse.
3. Use good matcha.
You want to be able to taste the subtle matcha flavor, so I recommend using good quality matcha (green tea powder). When it comes to chiffon cakes, I like them to be simple. No sweet frosting necessary. A good reason to enjoy more than 1 slice.
You only use 3 tablespoons of oil for this recipe, so you can expect a very light cake. If no one was looking, I would probably eat the entire 17 cm (about 7 inches) cake all by myself!
If you follow the recipe closely, you can expect a fluffy, light, and moist Matcha Chiffon Cake. It turned out just like the chiffon cake that I have tried in Japan and dreamed of making myself.
If you are a fan of not-so-sweet desserts, this is for you. Knowing how easy it is to make chiffon cakes now, I am going to try making other flavors soon. What would be your favorite flavor?
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Matcha Chiffon Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (yolks and whites separated)
- 85 g sugar (½ cup minus 1 Tbsp; divided into thirds)
- 40 ml neutral oil (3 Tbsp minus 1 tsp)
- ¼ cup water
- 75 g cake flour (⅔ cup minus 2 tsp; weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off; you can make Homemade Cake Flour)
- 1 heaping Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) (1 level Tbsp matcha weighs 6 g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
Instructions
- Before You Start: I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on the “Metric“ button at the top of the recipe to convert the ingredient measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
- Gather all the ingredients. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites from 3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell). Keep the eggs whites in a stand mixer bowl; refrigerate or freeze the bowl and egg whites for 15 minutes until cold. (It‘s okay if the egg whites are partially frozen). Tip: In Japan, we chill the egg whites to make smooth, fine-textured meringue and do not use cream of tartar.
- Preheat the oven to 340ºF (170ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). You will need 1 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. If you have a different size pan, read this post to adjust the ingredient measurements. Make sure you use an aluminum pan with a removable base (read my blog post for more details). Please see my Notes at the end of this recipe for additional details on ingredients, equipment, and techniques.
To Mix the Batter
- Start mixing the batter. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and one-third of the 85 g sugar with a hand whisk. Whisk vigorously until it‘s a creamy pale yellow color. Then, add 40 ml neutral oil and ¼ cup water and beat with a whisk to combine.
- To a flour sifter or fine-mesh sieve, add 75 g cake flour, 1 heaping Tbsp matcha (green tea powder), and 1 tsp baking powder. Sift one-third of this flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Whisk by hand to incorporate the dry ingredients well. Check that there are no lumps in the batter, then sift another one-third of the flour mixture into the bowl. Mix to incorporate. Then, sift in the rest of the flour mixture and whisk until just combined; do not overmix. Make sure there are no lumps in the batter. Set aside while you beat the meringue.
To Make the Meringue
- Take out the bowl of egg whites from the refrigerator or freezer. Set the bowl on the stand mixer with a whisk attachment (I used the KitchenAid Professional Series). Start whipping the egg whites on medium-low speed (Speed 4) until the egg whites are bubbly, opaque, and foamy.
- Add another one-third of the sugar and continue whisking for 30 seconds. Then, increase the mixer speed to high (Speed 10) and gradually add the remaining sugar in small increments. Beat vigorously until stiff peaks form (see the next step for how to check). It takes about 2 minutes of beating at high speed to reach stiff peaks. Tip: I usually pause beating when the egg whites are almost done. Take off the whisk attachment from the mixer and use it to hand-mix the looser egg whites near the bowl's edge into the stiffer whites near the center until it‘s all homogeneous in texture. Then, put the whisk back on and continue beating.
- To check for stiff peaks, pull up your whisk. The meringue in the bowl or on the whisk should be firm enough to hold a peak, pointing straight up (or maybe folding over a little bit just at the very tips). By this time, the meringue should have a glossy texture, too. Tip: If you overbeat the meringue, it will become very stiff and grainy and won‘t incorporate into the batter at all.
To Fold In the Meringue
- Using a spatula or hand whisk, add one-third of the meringue into the batter. Mix well by hand until it‘s homogeneous.
- Gently fold in the rest of the meringue in 2 or 3 increments. Take care not to deflate the air bubbles in the meringue and batter as you fold. Once it‘s well combined and homogeneous, fold the batter one last time and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure there is no matcha accumulation. The final batter should fall in ribbons when you lift the spatula or whisk.
To Bake
- Prepare 1 ungreased 17-cm (7-inch) chiffon cake pan. From 6–8 inches high, pour the batter into the pan at just one spot to prevent air pockets from forming. While holding the removable base in place, gently tap the pan a few times on the work surface to release any air pockets in the batter. Run a wooden skewer through the batter to release any remaining air pockets.
- Put the cake pan on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 340ºF (170ºC) for 30 minutes. To check if it‘s finished baking, insert a toothpick or wooden skewer into the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back when gently pressed, it‘s done. Tip: If the top of the cake gets dark too quickly, cover the top loosely with aluminum foil to prevent burning. (The cake may be too close to the heat source.)
- Remove the cake pan from the oven and gently drop the pan onto the work surface to shock the cake. This stops the cake from shrinking. To cool the cake, prepare a tall, heavy bottle with a long neck, such as a glass wine bottle. Invert the center tube of the cake pan onto the bottle‘s neck and let the cake cool completely in its pan. Cooling the cake upside down helps it stretch downward and maintain its loft.
- Once the cake is completely cool, run a long offset spatula around the outer edge of the pan and a small offset spatula around the inner tube. Gently take out the removable base and cake from the outer pan. Then, run the offset spatula along the bottom of the cake to release it from the base. Tip: I used to use a knife for this step, but the tip of the knife tends to poke the cake while moving around, so I now recommend using offset spatulas.
- Invert the cake with the removable base onto a plate or cake stand. The cake will slide off the inner tube. Chiffon cake is served “upside down” with the flat bottom on top.
To Serve
- I serve the Matcha Chiffon Cake as is, but you may dust the top with confectioners‘ sugar, if you‘d like (optional). Slice and enjoy.
To Store
- I strongly recommend consuming the cake sooner for the best freshness. However, you can keep the cake covered on a plate or stand at room temperature in a cooler place for 1–2 days. To keep it longer, wrap individual slices in plastic wrap or put in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for 3 days or in the freezer for 2 weeks.
Notes
- Make sure your beaters and mixing bowl are clean and dry. A speck of oil or egg yolk on either one can minimize the volume of the beaten egg whites.
- Avoid plastic bowls, as even clean ones may hold oily residue that can affect the beaten quality of the egg whites.
- Use a bowl that’s wide enough to keep the beaters from being buried in the egg whites.
- Do not overbeat or underbeat the egg whites or your cake may fall. Egg whites should have a stiff peak, pointing straight up (or maybe a little bit folding over just at the very tips).
First time baking a chiffon cake and amateur baker … Followed all of your instructions and it turned out beautifully! Thank you!
Hi Sam, Yay! We are so happy to hear your cake turned out beautifully!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your feedback.
Hello,happy new year!
i just made the green tea chiffon cake, and, finally,it is not green,but brown,as if it has cocoa powder inside. It is very nice in taste, not burnt,but brown. Is it possible that the matcha powder is the reason for this?
Thank you
Eleni PAVLIDOU
Hi Eleni, Happy New Year! Thank you very much for trying this recipe. The good quality Matcha will be the key to have a nice color. Here is the post where Nami explains more about Matcha. https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-powder-matcha/
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami! Thank you for the recipe I would like to try making this. Just wondering about the eggs, do you use cold eggs straight from the fridge or do I need to warm them to room temperature? I did read that in Japan they beat chilled egg whites, is that what you do? But what about the yolks, are they ok to use cold?
Also, do you bake with top and bottom heating but no fan? And do I place on the bottom rack or second lowest rack?
Finally, the last time I baked a chiffon cake I used a knife to remove the cake from the pan but it left my cake edges not very smooth. I’ve seen others try pressing the cake inwards to loosen them from the pan and they get quite clean sides but I’m not sure if the pressing will “harm” the cake lol, what do you think of this method? Thank you for your reply!
Hi Fiona,
Excellent questions!
This recipe was published back in 2013, and since then technic got improved.
Here is the one Nami published in 2020, and you can find many of your answers, plus more. https://www.justonecookbook.com/chocolate-chiffon-cake/
Egg Yolks: room temperature, Oven: Bottom heat with no fan (place in the middle rack), Use offset spatulas for edges instead of a knife.
We hope this helps! 😊
Hi Nami,
Thank you for sharing the recipe. I made this chiffon cake. It rises beautifully but for some reason it is densed on the bottom part of it.
I use 10inch pan and follow your recipe for 10inch pan. For the milk in the recipe it is 170ml but when I measure it with 2/3cup and 2tsp it turns out 175ml. Can you please help me figure out what went wrong? Thanks Nami.
Hi Nanalie!
First of all, Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
Nami’s measuring cup is American cup and 1 cup = 240 ml and 1 tsp = 5 ml https://www.justonecookbook.com/faqs/
So it’s possible that your batter had a little more moisture than Nami’s recipe and made the cake dense on the bottom part.
Other tips are to check your oven temperature. Often, the oven setting doesn’t display the actual oven temperature. Get an oven thermometer to place it in the oven and test the actual oven temperature at 4 corners and center. The next tip is to Do not over mix the batter and follow Step 10 to make sure to bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
We hope this is helpful, and next time will be successful!🙂
Thank you for your reply Nami. I will try to bake the cake again. Do you normally use ml or cups?
I will follow what you normally use and see how it goes. Hopefully it will be successful this time.
Regarding the oven temperature, I did use the oven thermometer.
I baked the cake normally at 170 for 55 mins following your recipe but the cake turns out a bit dry.
Is it ok to lower the temp to 160 for 55 mins? Thanks again 😊
Hi Nanalie,
It’s our pleasure!
Since we live in different weather conditions, please feel free to adjust the oven temperature as you need it. For baking recipes, we strongly recommend using the metric measurement for more accuracy. Good Luck! 😊
Thanks Nami 😊
Hi.. I have 19CM tin.. May I know what measurement for ingredients
Hi Regina,
Thank you for trying this recipe!
We have a recipe for 20 cm chiffon cake. https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/
We hope this helps!
I used uji matcha, which was a perfect fit. The texture was exactly what I wanted- light and fluffy and spongy. The sweetness is perfect and light. I will definitely make this again.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback. I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the Chiffon Cake! Nami has many Chiffon cake recipes. Please check it out other too! https://www.justonecookbook.com/earl-grey-chiffon-cake/ 😊
If I wanted to add more matcha – say one teaspoon or half a teaspoon, would I need to change anything else? Thank you
Hi Angie! You may want to reduce the flour amount since cocoa and matcha are considered dry ingredients. 🙂
Hello! I have tried your recipe but I have realised that some of my matcha powder clumped up in my batter despite me shifting the powder together with my flour :O Do you know why this might have happened? I will admit that I did not add the flour and powder in batches when I was baking and I was thinking if that could be the cause of the clumping?
Thanks!
Hi Nami! thank you for this recipe.
Would I be able to substitute houjicha powder instead of matcha to get enough of a strong houjicha taste?
Thank you
Hi Jenny! This is one of recipes I need to test as well, so I can’t say for sure if a simple substitution (1:1) would work (yet). Please try and test how it is. 🙂
Hi Nami. I tried baking the chiffon and 1 side of my chiffon cake base (outer edge) is with few big bubble holes but the other 2/3 round edge is perfectly fine. Cut & inside is fine with few bigger bubble holes. May i know what is the possible reason leading to this outer edge holes? I see your matcha chiffon photo is with the holes too. But mine is slightly bigger at the bottom edge and that makes the cake not looking as nice though tasted great. Appreciate your advice. Thank you.
Hi Nik! They are all air bubbles. Sometimes bubbles combine and become bigger bubbles. What you can do is to avoid incorporating air gap while pouring the batter. Try to pour in one go, instead of stop and go, for example. Or Make sure to run the skewer around and tap the pan to remove big air bubble/gap. I sometimes get a similar issue when I’m in a hurry or not careful. So I know this big hole is a fixable issue. 🙂
Thanks Nami for your quick advice. I was thinking maybe I stop for abit while pouring to scrape off the last batter from bowl. And I tried it again just now in one go, skewers run trough few times + tapping 4-5 times. It is the same too but with slightly lesser and smaller holes at the outer edge. May i know what else can I improve on to avoid this ? I am crying. 🤣
Hi Nik! Bigger air pockets can be totally avoidable. Besides the way you pour, make sure to make good meringue (don’t redude sugar), mix the batter thoroughly so meringue is mixed in properly…. and I don’t know about your oven, but make sure your oven is at optimal temperature. Don’t leave it open too long when you put the cake pan inside because heat will espcape and it’ll take a longer time to get back to the temperature. You can always start at higher temperature to preheat, and change to the right temperature after you put the cake pan inside… Good luck!
Hi Nami. I managed to get rid of the big bubbles by adding a tsp of vinegar to egg whites. Finally I have a beautiful and yummy chiffon cake for now. 😆 btw, I have recently bought a 6 inch tall mold (15cm diameter x10cm height). May i know if I need to adjust any baking temperature/ timing with the regular 6 inch recipe in this taller pan ? Thank you
Hi Nik! Wonderful! I know American recipes add acidity (lemon juice, vinegar, cream of tartar) to the room temp egg whites when they make meringue but the Japanese method is always freezing/chilling the egg whites. 🙂 The tall chiffon cake needs more batter (15-20% more) and longer baking time. I don’t own one so I never tested it before. It will look a lot more elegant for sure!
Hi Nami. Thanks for your quick response. I chill my egg whites too but perhaps I need to work more on my meringue skill so it is stable even without adding acidity. If I were only baking the regular recipe with the tall pan (10cm height), batter volume remains, is there any need of adjusting the baking time if so? Thanks
Hi Nik! You mean, same batter amount but the chiffon cake pan is a tall one? No, you don’t need to change the baking time. 🙂
Hi Nami! Do I need to adjust the matcha powder amount for a bigger pan? If yes, how can I do so? I am following your conversion for 10 inch pan. Thanks!
Hi Sheena! I’d increase to maybe 2 Tbsp?
I made this last night to bring to work today. It was incredibly easy and quicker than I expected.
The first time I attempted a sponge cake, it came out awfully (I hadn’t beaten the eggs enough) so I thought I was just bad at making meringue. It made me fearful to try a chiffon cake. But this time though, it was excellent!!
Thanks so much for this amazing recipe and I will be trying to incorporate other flavors in the future.
I live in Japan and have found it hard to find aluminum chiffon cake pans near my home, so I opted for one of the cardboard sleeves (18cm) from the 100 yen shop and it came out fine. It was also way easier to remove from it because you can just peel the cardboard away after it has cooled.
I did substitute some cream of tartar and baking soda for the baking powder (since I generally only have those on hand) but everyone is happy with the cake!
Thanks again!! <3 Happy baking!!
こんにちは、ジェイミー！ So glad your chiffon cake came out well. Yes, the paper chiffon cakes or aluminum cake pan is the best choice for chiffon cakes. I got mine at Rakuten in Japan. If you can’t go to the Asaikawa Shoten in Kappabashi, you can always order the cake pan on Rakuten.
https://item.rakuten.co.jp/asai-tool/c/0000000111/
Japan has those chiffon cake paper stuff, and even in 100 yen shop, so that’s good. We can’t get those here in the US. 🙁
Thanks so much for your kind feedback!
Hi! I’ve made this cake before, and its one of my faves! Does this work as a cupcake too?
Hi Angeline! I’m so glad to hear you like this recipe! Hmmm I’m not sure if the result would be optimal, but you “can” bake this batter in a cupcake liner and it should rise. 🙂
Thanks so much for your reply! I tried it out, and baked the cupcakes for 15 minutes. The cupcake came out really moist and tasty! But the recipe is definitely better fit for a chiffon cake.
Thanks so much for your update! Good to know it worked! I think the sponge is really fine and soft so it helps to make in the chiffon cake pan. 🙂
Hi…
Tq 4 yr lovely recipe & I had tried baking it twice so far.
I have the following queries and would like your kind advice.
1) My cake turned out well but not green at all and too lightly flavoured as I could not taste Nor smell the green tea. I used a green matcha milk powder from a Jap supermarket. What green tea powder would you recommend?
2) I would like the cake to be slightly sweeter. Can I just add in 20/30gm more sugar without changing anything else? I do not want to affect the texture of lightness of the cake
3) Similarly, can I double the green tea misfire leaving everything else intact?
4) Can I swop milk for the water? I hope to make it slightly richer as I love milk. If so, how much ml milk should I put?
and not sweet. Please advise.
Really appreciate you sharing your wonderful recipe.
Hi Xingyung! Thanks for trying my recipe twice already! 🙂
1) Please use 100% matcha (https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-powder-matcha/). Make sure to use good quality one, which has nice vivid green color. If it’s yellowish green (not pretty), it’s low grade. The match color will not change by baking it. It will be the same tone.
2) Sugar adds moisture in the cake, so by adding more, it could possibly add a bit more moisture in the cake that might change the texture. If you use real 100% matcha, it should taste bitter too… give it a try by slowing increasing?
3) If you use 100% matcha, you should not need to add more. 🙂
4) Sure! Same amount, please.
Hope that helps!
Hi Nami
My cake tin is 10inch in size. Can I know the right proportion for all the ingredients?
Keen to try this cake.
Many thanks
Sue
Hi Szue! I have 25 cm (10 cm) basic ingredients measurement here:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/perfect-chiffon-cake/