Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Mousse

 Right then, let's give this whole blogging thing a try.  Let me know what I can do to make this thing better.

Matcha cake with green tea cream cheese icing and azuki bean cream. Made for Esther's and Frank's last day in lab. Chocolate plastic green rose (supposed to look like jade but I have yet to master clay gradients) is supposed to represent bounty and richness. The flavor combination is quite common in Asia.
The recipe is based on a chocolate cake found on the back of a container of Hershey's special dark cocoa powder.  Using a food chemistry database from denmark (foodcomp.dk) I tried my best to replace the missing cocoa powder with equivalent amounts of fat, proteins, starch, etc.  That is why I've got that odd 40g of cake flour in the recipe.  I dunno if it's actually necessary.  I also replaced coffee in the original chocolate cake recipe which meant I lost some acidity that I didn't account for and screwed my leavening up a little.  Thus the recipe has a few bugs to work out.

Matcha cake (requires more development)
200g All purpose flour
40g cake flour
350g granulated sugar (this is a lot.  Cake is good for the soul, not so much for the body)
1tsp baking powder
2tsp baking soda
.5tsp salt
1 cup matcha tea made with 4 tsp matcha powder
1 cup milk (used 1%)
2 eggs
.5 cup canola oil

-Grease and line with parchment 2 9-inch by 2 inch round cake pans.

-Pre-heat oven to 350F.
-Sift together AP flour, cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.

-beat together matcha tea, milk, eggs, and oil.  Mixture should look homogenous.

-Add wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Beat mixture using hand mixer for 20 seconds.  Scrape down sides of bowl with a spatula.  Beat together for another 20 seconds.  Batter will be thin, similar to pancake batter.

-Distribute evenly between both pans and bake for  approximately 25 minutes. 

-Cake is finished when a toothpick poked into the center comes out nearly clean (a few crumbs are okay). 
-Cool cake IN pans on cooling racks for 15 minutes.

-Remove cakes from pans and cool completely inverted on cooling racks.  Take off parchment paper.

-Cakes may be very soft, if too soft to work with, put cakes (still on cooling racks) into refrigerator and chill for an hour.  This will firm up the cakes.  However, chilling for too long (more than 12 hours) will dry out cakes.

Matcha cream cheese icing
6oz cream cheese (softened)
2oz unsalted butter (softened)
230g confectioners sugar
2tsp matcha powder
green food coloring
-Sift matcha and confectioner sugar together.

-Beat cream cheese and butter with a hand mixer until fluffy.

-Beat in sugar-matcha  in 3 parts, scraping down the bowl after each addition.

-Beat in green food coloring drops at a time if desired.  Color pre-food coloring depends on quality of matcha powder.

-Frosting consistency is affected by its temperature.  May be too stiff to use if completely chilled.

Bean Paste

Azuki bean cream
3/4cup dried azuki beans rinsed and checked for rocks
.5tsp baking soda (supposedly makes beans creamier)
.25tsp salt
60g granulated sugar

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp sugar

-add beans, baking soda, and salt into slow cooker, cover with an inch of water, cook on low for 8-12 hours.  

Bean Cream

-Drain beans in wire sieve while retaining some moisture.
-Blend together cooked azuki beans and sugar into a very fine paste using food processor or blender. Skins can be left on, although traditionally the beans are pushed through a wire sieve which leaves the skins behind to provide a smoother texture.  However, skins have fiber and add bulk.

Whip whipping cream + sugar until almost but not quite stiff peaks.  If you do it by hand, it looks smoother.  Also use chilled bowl and whisk when whipping cream.  Fold together whipped cream and bean paste.

Green chocolate modeling clay (Chocolate plastic)

85g green candy melts (Wilton brand works well)

1 Tbsp light corn syrup

-Melt candy melts and let cool until 91F.

-Stir in corn syrup.  Mixture will look gross and oily.

-Gather mixture into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Store overnight in refrigerator.

-Remove from refrigerator and knead until pliable and not extremely oily.  If too stiff, try to knead in more corn syrup.  Making modeling clay is kind of tricky...

-Describing how to make chocolate plastic roses is too difficult in text.  There are instructions online.

Assembly

-Place one cake layer on a cardboard cake round.

-Add as much azuki bean cream as desired on top of cake layer.

-Top cream with remaining cake layer.

-Frost cake with matcha cream cheese icing.  A thin coat works best because the frosting is very sweet.

-If there is still azuki bean cream remaining, piping boarders around the sides and top of cake and hide unevenly (i.e.  UGLY) frosted areas.

-Decorations made from chocolate modeling clay can later be added.

-Cake is best served chilled and with company.

Not longer pretty, but still tasty.

And now on to the troubles.  The holes.

The Cursed Holes

The center of the cake layers has these strange holes which aren't usually there when I make the chocolate version.  I'm pretty sure it has something to do with my baking soda/powder and acid ratios.  I think I'll try using less baking soda and more baking powder.