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!

A wooden plate containing matcha green tea steamed cakes.

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.

A white plate containing matcha green tea steamed cakes.

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!

A white plate containing matcha green tea steamed cakes.

Creative Matcha Steamed Cake

JOC reader Angel tried this recipe and made these absolutely gorgeous steamed cakes that I want to share with you.

Green tea steamed cakes in a bamboo basket.

When I asked her how she made them, she agreed to share her tutorial with us! Here’s her tutorial:

  1. 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.
  2. Add 1 tsp. of sifted flour into 2 tsp. batter and mix well and add in some pink food color.
  3. Add ¾ tsp of cocoa powder to 1.5 tsp. of plain batter and mix well.
  4. Transfer both batters into piping bags.
  5. Add matcha powder to the rest of the plain batter and mix well.
  6. 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.
A wooden plate containing matcha green tea steamed cakes.

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A wooden plate containing matcha green tea steamed cakes.

Matcha Steamed Cake

4.96 from 47 votes
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!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4 steamed cakes

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell)
  • 1 Tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 3 Tbsp plain yogurt
  • Tbsp sugar
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp matcha (green tea powder)

For the Garnish (Optional)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.

Instructions
 

  • Gather all the ingredients. I use 6 oz Pyrex glass ramekins (custard cups).
    Green Tea Steamed Cake Ingredients
  • Wrap a frying pan lid with a kitchen towel. This will prevent condensation from falling onto the cakes while steaming.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 1
  • 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.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 2
  • Meanwhile, place a cupcake liner inside each ramekin.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 3
  • In a medium bowl, add 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) and 1 Tbsp neutral oil and whisk well.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 4
  • Add 1 Tbsp honey and 3 Tbsp plain yogurt. Mix well.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 5
  • Add 1½ Tbsp sugar and mix thoroughly.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 6
  • Sift ½ cup all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 1 tsp baking powder together. Then, add it to the egg mixture.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 7
  • Sift 1 tsp matcha (green tea powder) and fold until the matcha powder is well incorporated into the batter.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 8
  • Divide and pour the batter evenly into the lined ramekins.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 9
  • When the water starts to boil, place the filled ramekins inside the pan.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 10
  • Cover with the lid and steam over medium-low heat for 12–14 minutes.
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 11
  • 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).
    Green Tea Steamed Cake 12

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).

Nutrition

Calories: 151 kcal · Carbohydrates: 22 g · Protein: 4 g · Fat: 5 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 2 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 48 mg · Sodium: 131 mg · Potassium: 60 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 10 g · Vitamin A: 132 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 87 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Author: Namiko Hirasawa Chen
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: cake
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4.96 from 47 votes (34 ratings without comment)
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Hi Nami,

I love this recipe!
Quick question – would you have any tips to keep it light and fluffy overnight without re-steaming?

Thanks!
Sonia

Is the cooking time the same if I will steam it using the rice cooker?

Do the ramekins need to be made out of glass? Would the ceramic ones be just as good?

This recipe is so easy and ive officially made it just now the second time this week!! it feels healthy too bc of lower sugar and soooo soft! I’m in love thank you!! I adjusted the quantities a bit to make a single larger steam cake using whole wheat flour and it still turned out wonderful!! i filled up the middle of cake with red bean paste with a bit of coconut cream I had leftover 🙂 seriously, amazing the whole family loved it!

This looks really great. Can I replace yogurt and milk in this recipe?

Just wanted to say I’ve made this with mochiko flour and GF blends from King Arthur Flour with great results for years! I replace yoghurt for coconut dairy free version. So it is easily adapted gluten and dairy free recipe! I love doing this recipe!5 stars

Hello, Namikosan.

Just wanted to send a short note to say thanks very much for the great mushipan recipe here! I just tried your matcha mushipan recipe for other flavors–apple cinnamon walnut flavor and coffee. They both came out very nice and moist.

Sounds terrible, but, although I like matcha tea, I don’t quite care for matcha flavored desserts, but I liked your idea of making the mushipan moist enough, so I tried this recipe but substituted other ingredients for the matcha. I just put in a few apples I had, along with walnuts, and a dash of cinnamon, turmeric, and cloves–along with a dash of sea salt (nuchimaasu). I didn’t have white sugar, so I used black cane sugar (kurozato). It all turned out great. Those were great at 14 min. (for the smaller silicone cups). The coffee flavored ones would probably have been better if I took them out at around 12 min.

Anyway, great recipe! Thank you. Much better than the recipe that came with the Zojirushi electric pan for mushipan. I don’t usually write reviews, but it was just so nice to have a simple mushipan recipe that worked–very, very happy. So, thank you! I look forward to checking out your other recipes. Domo arigato gozaimashita~!5 stars

Can I use sour cream instead of yogurt to moist the cake?

Thanks Nami. I tried to use sour cream and granulated sugar but it did not turn out right. The cake did not rise but it widened in appearance. It is still good to eat. I will use the yogurt and the regular sugar next time in making this steamed cake.

Hi Namiko, thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
I wonder is it possible to steam this cake in a rice cooker (the micom type) without the ramekin?

I like to try using my bamboo steamer Do I steam it the same 12-14 mins? I presume I don’t need to wrap the lid when using this method. Is that right?

Hi, can i seek your help to advise if i can possibly pour the batter into a round pan to steam it as a cake?

Hi Nami. I tried several times the green tea steamed cake but why the color can’t be green as yours? The color always a little bit brown. Is it because the matcha powder or the honey that make the color change?

HI Nami! I remember when my mom would make this after school as a snack! Have you tried steaming it in the instant pot? I wonder what the directions would be…

Hello! Thank you Nami for this awesome recipe! I’ve made the green tea cakes recently and it got gobbled up quickly! The next round I made were coconut flavored and I added shredded coconut and coconut extract to it…oh my goodness it’s delicious!

These were amazing.. I substituted the sugar for another tsp of honey and was just right. thank you for this recipe. A wonderful website you have here. Best wishes.