This Matcha Steamed Cake (Mushi Pan) is light and fluffy with an aromatic green tea flavor. These individual Japanese cakes are so easy to steam in a frying pan for the perfect breakfast or snack. Less than 20 minutes to make!
Steamed Cake or we call it Mushi Pan (蒸しパン) is a light, fluffy, and soft cake. As the name suggests, it is steamed instead of baked, and it takes less than 20 minutes to prepare from the beginning to the end. I shared another version two years ago and that steamed cake recipe has been one of the most popular recipes, especially among readers from Asia.
Since then, I’ve kept experimenting with the ingredients and came up with this recipe that I enjoy and have been using for a while. To make the steamed cake moister, I added honey and used yogurt instead of milk. I love the changes I made and I hope you give this updated version a try if you tried other steam cake recipes before. Let me know what you think!
What Does Matcha Taste Like?
It’s a bit difficult to describe. It has a unique rich bitter taste as well as sweetness. When matcha is used in recipes, the flavor becomes subtler. If you are a matcha fan, you might be interested in my other matcha recipes like Green Tea Ice Cream, Green Tea Cookies, and Green Tea Crème Brûlée.
This simple and quick steamed cake recipe is perfect for an after-school snack or when you have sudden guests. Hope you enjoy “steaming” these little cakes! Itadakimasu!
Creative Matcha Steamed Cake
JOC reader Angel tried this recipe and made these absolutely gorgeous steamed cakes that I want to share with you.
When I asked her how she made them, she agreed to share her tutorial with us! Here’s her tutorial:
- Just before adding matcha powder, portion out 2 tsp. of plain batter for pink color and 1.5 tsp. of batter for brown color into two bowls.
- Add 1 tsp. of sifted flour into 2 tsp. batter and mix well and add in some pink food color.
- Add ¾ tsp of cocoa powder to 1.5 tsp. of plain batter and mix well.
- Transfer both batters into piping bags.
- Add matcha powder to the rest of the plain batter and mix well.
- Filled matcha batter into cupcake liners and drop the liners on the countertop a few times to remove air bubbles before pipe pattern on the cakes as desired.
Note:
- The batter should be slightly thicker yet able to pipe.
- Add in a little bit more batter if it’s too thick or flour if it’s too thin. It should be at the right consistency as pipe design may sink while steaming if the batter is too watery.
Matcha Steamed Cake
Ingredients
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
- 1 Tbsp neutral oil
- 1 Tbsp honey
- 3 Tbsp plain yogurt
- 1½ Tbsp sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp matcha (green tea powder)
For the Garnish (Optional)
- sweet red bean paste (anko) (you can make my homemade Anko recipe)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients. I use 6 oz Pyrex glass ramekins (custard cups).
- Wrap a frying pan lid with a kitchen towel. This will prevent condensation from falling onto the cakes while steaming.
- Place 4 empty ramekins in a frying pan and pour enough water into the pan to go halfway up the exterior sides of the ramekins. Take out the ramekins, cover the pan with a lid, and bring the water to a boil.
- Meanwhile, place a cupcake liner inside each ramekin.
- In a medium bowl, add 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) and 1 Tbsp neutral oil and whisk well.
- Add 1 Tbsp honey and 3 Tbsp plain yogurt. Mix well.
- Add 1½ Tbsp sugar and mix thoroughly.
- Sift ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 1 tsp baking powder together. Then, add it to the egg mixture.
- Sift 1 tsp matcha (green tea powder) and fold until the matcha powder is well incorporated into the batter.
- Divide and pour the batter evenly into the lined ramekins.
- When the water starts to boil, place the filled ramekins inside the pan.
- Cover with the lid and steam over medium-low heat for 12–14 minutes.
- To test if the steamed cake is ready, insert a skewer in the center of the cake and see if it comes out clean (no wet batter). Do not overcook as the cakes will become hard. When done, remove the ramekins from the pan and serve with sweet red bean paste (anko).
To Store
- I recommended enjoying it immediately or on the same day since the steamed cake gets harder. You can re-steam them before serving (I don‘t recommend microwaving).
Hi I tried your recipe and it’s sooooo good! The first batch rose very nicely like yours but… The second batch was darker green on top and not so fluffy. What could be wrong with my second batch? Is it because it’s smaller (so should cut time?) or the batter was left too long before steaming?
Hi Lulu! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂 If the second batch was smaller, you definitely need to cut down on time. From your description, it sounds like it’s overcooked. Hope next time it will turn out well!
Every time I make this I get better and better! <3 Thanks for sharing!! I'm scoping out your recipes right now to see what to make for my Mom on Mother's day! <3
Hi E! So glad to hear you enjoy this recipe and keep making it! Hope you enjoy cooking some Japanese food for Mother’s Day! Happy Mother’s Day to your mom. 🙂
Hi Nami san! I just tried this recipe two days ago, but because of my matcha powder a bit old and forgotten the colour didn’t appeared so great (T__T). But I tried it today with vanilla flavored and it turned out well! My mom is a steam-cake-holic and when she tried mine she said it’s pretty good. I’ll definitely try and experiment some other flavors. Thanks for the recipe Nami san! You’re my best Japanese foods cooking teacher! <3
Hi Aya-san! Thanks so much for trying this dish! Before you start cooking, if matcha doesn’t have vivid color, it’ll be that color after being cooked. Matcha has to be stored in air-tight containers to keep it fresh. 🙂 I’m happy to hear your vanilla ones came out well. Thank you so much for your feedback! 🙂
Hi there! I love your website and recipes. This recipe look so easy to make. I will make for breakfast. Also you look gorgeous!
Hi Ly! Thank you so much for your kind words and I hope you enjoy this recipe. 🙂
How did you get your cakes get so green? When I tried the recipe, mine looked brown , but it was lightly green on the inside. Oh yeah! Try to put mini chocolate chips into the cake. It’s really good. (No, that’s not the reason the cake was brown. (=_=) Pleas and Thank you!!!~
Hi MyTram! I think I know the reason. It’s truly based on green tea quality. When you look at the green tea and if it’s not as bright and vivid like mine, probably the steamed cake won’t show the beautiful green color. A lot of green tea that is sold at Asian stores are mixed with sugar or simply the quality is not good enough. Try in Japanese supermarket which sells matcha that’s for drinking or culinary. When you open the jar or package, you will know the difference. 🙂 I bet the chocolate will make it even more delicious! 🙂
I do have the matcha that is used for drinking, but I don’t know what the problem is. (=~=) The chocolate is really good! (=w=)
I researched a little bit, and it looks like the matcha color may turn to brown when the matcha’s quality is not good, or it’s been open for a while and use it (the freshness is gone). Another one is the cooking time/heat. Maybe you can try changing a little bit to see if you can keep it green on the outside. Hope this helps! 🙂
Oh. That makes sense now. Thank you! \(^w^)/
Hi Nami! Thanks again for the wonderful recipe i just tried it today and it came out really soft and tasty. Btw mine are not as green as yours. It turned very dark green almost brown. Why is that? Is it because of the matcha powder? However, I used the same matcha powder to bake your green tea cookies but the cookie color is not as dark.
Anyway, despite the color, i really love the taste and texture 🙂 not so sweet, just right for me. Thanks again for the recipe.
Hi Jinilia! I’m glad you liked this recipe. Regarding the green tea, the color of matcha changes after opening the container. Fresh matcha always have bright green color and after you keep it for a while, it will be less bright. That can be one reason… or only reason I can think of right now. Was the color of batter brighter compared to the one after being baked? When I look at my step by step pics… it’s about the same color, I think. I hope you give it a try with fresher matcha next time and see if the color will improve. 🙂
Hi Nami thanks for the fast answer 🙂
I think you’re right. I bought the matcha when trying your matcha cookies and that was months ago. That’s why my greentea cookies had bright green color because the matcha powder was freshly opened.
My batter was already dark green before steaming. After steaming the color was not much different.
Anyway even though the color a bit dark, do you think it’s still safe to eat? Since the matcha powder has not past the expiration date. Btw, now the steamed cake are all eaten lol. So let’s see in a few hours if they are actually safe to eat lololol
LOL!!! You’re funny. 😀 It should be safe, but for a tea company’s standard, it’s already not the best quality matcha. The color is one thing, but probably the fragrance and taste is not the best compared to when you just opened it. But I’m pretty sure it’s edible. 😉 It will taste much better when you use fresh matcha. 🙂
Hi Nami I can now officially state that the cake is safe lol nobody got weird bowel movement whatsoever 😀
Thanks for the tip. I guess I better start using my matcha powder more often 🙂
Ahahaha! Yeah use matcha soon, and try to keep it in an airtight container. Enjoy cooking more matcha dishes. 🙂
Love your steamed cake. First try and came out great thanks to your wonderful detailed and pictured instructions. So easy. Haven’t had a recipe that came out this great on a first try. I must try the rest of your 350+ recipes. What a wonderful website you have!
Hi Diana! Aww thank you so much for your sweet comment – you have just made my day! I’m glad the steamed cake came out well. Aren’t these super easy to make, AND delicious? Thank you for trying this recipe! I hope you enjoy other recipes as well! xo
I just made these. Easy and delicious. I didn’t have ramekins and used tealight glass holders that I had never used with candles. They came out perfect. I will try your chiffon cake recipe next. Thanks so much for hour recipe and clear instructions.
Hi Helgee! I’m so happy they came out well! Isn’t it so easy to make? 🙂 Chiffon cake is pretty easy to make too, and I hope you enjoy the light and delicious dessert. Thank you for trying my recipes, Helgee! 🙂
Thanks for the tip. I looked at your pictures again. Maybe my sister is too picky. I love the mushi pan and they are cute to look at and good to eat so I made them many times!
Hi! I tried making these in a metal steamer and they turned out a very dark brown on top and were undercooked on the bottom of the cake. Do you have any advice?
Hi Iso! I have never used a steamer to make this (I use only a frying pan technique above), so I am not sure how long it should be steamed for a perfect result. Since you mentioned they are undercooked on the bottom, you will need to cook longer. Is it dark “brown” or more like dark green that batter is still not cooked? Or the texture is steamed cake but the color is brown? I’m not sure how many you put inside, but make sure you give enough space in between so that they are all equally cooked. Many readers (especially in Asia) shared their pictures of Green Tea Steamed Cake on my facebook fan page. A lot of them use metal steamer, so I know it’s possible to make. Hope you can get the good result. 🙂
Tasted great! It wasn’t very sweet, but still had alot of flavour. I will definitely make this again in the next few days as well as the chocolate steamed cake. \(^ v ^)/
Thank you Megumi! No, it’s not like Western cupcakes or muffins. It’s more like steamed bun with slightly sweet green tea flavor. 🙂 Thank you so much for trying this recipe! xo
These were delicious and not too sweet (but i put alot of anko haha). Theyre really cute with a pinch of black sesame before you steam! My boyfriend is filipino, and to me the dough texture, even the sweetness was exactly like a siopao! Im cooking some bacon today, i think ill try a crazy combinaison like potatoes, bacon, cheese and parsley… I was thinking of putting the red bean inside the cake too. Or a million other. Thank you !
Hi Sunny! I’m so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed it! Thank you so much for trying this recipe. Try many kinds of variation. 🙂
hi Nami, how if i don’t have the ramekins? Can i use the silicone molds?
And how about using the steamer? is it ok to put the silicone molds directly? thanks.
Hi Melss! You can use silicone molds and steamer! 🙂 Yes, you can put it directly, but just in case, I’d put parchment paper underneath for overflow (easy cleanup) but that’s not necessary.
Great recipie. I followed it almost exactly (accidentally threw the flour into the wet before mixing in the baking powder, but fortunately the batter is forgiving towards those kinda of mistakes), and they turned out exactly as I remembered green tea cakes from Japan to be. Light and fluffy, though perhaps too subtle for a western pallete. If you’re making these for non-Asians, perhaps up the sugar to 2 tablespoons or top with a vanilla icing (Anko paste’s texture can be off putting to those not used to its grittiness).
Hi Josh! Thank you! I agree, if non-Asian person taste this steamed cake, I think they will be surprised that this is even called “cake”. Hehe! So thank you for your suggestion! 🙂
Hi Adi! The steamed cakes are meant to be eaten hot/warm. So…I’m not sure if your cupcake idea will work. When the steamed cake cool down, the texture will be harder unlike cupcakes. I just posted green tea chiffon cake recipe. Maybe that works better for your grandma’s birthday cake? You’re so sweet making something for your grandma. 🙂 Happy Birthday to your grandma!
I’ve never baked or made pastries before and the cake still turned out so well. Thanks for helping me overcome my anxiety of cooking.
Hi Ada! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for trying! 🙂 xo