Vegan Matcha Cake + Azuki Bean Frosting (GF)

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Fluffy matcha sponge cake with creamy sweet azubi bean frosting, this Vegan Matcha Cake is unique and beautiful (I’m obsessed with the green colour), perfect for matcha and azuki bean lovers like me!

純素抹茶蛋糕 + 紅豆奶油糖霜 Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting

Matcha and azuki beans is one of my favourite combination. The slightly bitter matcha flavour balances with the sweet azuki beans so well that it’s like a “matcha” made in heaven. (I think this is a really good one, haha.)

And I had a sudden craving for sponge cakes the other day while seeing the bag of matcha powder on the shelf. Also, I finally found azuki beans the last weekend, so what’s a better time to make a vegan matcha sponge cake with azuki beans?

This recipe is adapted from Rhian’s recipe. I made a few modifications to make this lovely, not-so-sweet, yet still satisfying vegan matcha azuki bean cake.

純素抹茶蛋糕 + 紅豆奶油糖霜 Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting

What’s special about Vegan Matcha Cake?

  • Not too sweet double-layered matcha sponge cake
  • Creamy, oriental azuki bean frosting
  • Vegan, no eggs, no dairy, no animal products
  • Gluten-free, made with almond flour and gluten-free plain flour
純素抹茶蛋糕 + 紅豆奶油糖霜 Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting

Ingredients You Need for This Cake

  • Unsweetened soy milk
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Gluten-free plain white flour
  • Bakinpowder
  • Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
  • Salt
  • Matcha powder
  • Maple syrup
  • Coconut oil
  • Organic cane sugar
  • Vanilla extract
  • Vegan spread
  • Icing sugar (powder sugar)
  • Sweetened azuki beans
  • Strawberries, optional

For substitutions, please take a look at “Questions You Might Have” section and the recipe card.

How to Make Vegan Matcha Cake & Azuki Bean Frosting

To make matcha sponge cake:

  • Preparation: Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Line a 4-inch spring form cake tin (or 2 tins if you don’t feel comfortable slicing the cake in half later) with baking paper.
  • Make ‘buttermilk’: In a jar or a small bowl, mix the soy milk with apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes. In the meantime, let’s prepare other ingredients.
  • Mix the dry ingredients: To a big mixing bowl, add almond flour, gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and matcha powder. Use a whisk or a fork to mix all ingredients together.
  • Mix the wet ingredients: Add maple syrup, melted coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla extract to the ‘buttermilk’.
  • Combine dry and wet: Pour the wet mixture to the dry one. Use a whisk or a fork to whisk until combine. Don’t over mix. Use a silicone spatula to check all ingredients have been incorporated.
純素抹茶蛋糕 + 紅豆奶油糖霜 Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting
  • Prepare to bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin (or divide it into 2 tins if using). Gently drop the tin against the counter to remove air bubbles inside.
  • Bake: Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 175 °C (350 °F) for around 20–25 minutes. Check with a toothpick inserted in the centre. It should come out clean. 
  • Cool: Once the cake is baked, transfer the tin onto a wire rack to cool down completely. In the meantime, let’s make the frosting.

To make the azuki bean frosting: 

  • Whip up the ‘butter’: Add vegan spread and icing sugar to a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to beat them together until it becomes slightly fluffy.
  • Add azuki beans: Use a spatula to stir in the sweet azuki beans evenly.
  • Chill: Place the frosting in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.

Assemble:

  • Remove the cake from the tin and cut out the bumping top. Flip it upside down and cut it into 2 slices. (If you use 2 tins, omit the slicing part.)
  • Spread about half of the azuki bean frosting on top of a cake slice. Then place another cake on top. Spread the rest (or enough) frosting to cover the top. Add strawberry slices if using. Then slice and enjoy!
純素抹茶蛋糕 + 紅豆奶油糖霜 Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting

How to Store Vegan Matcha Cake

Store the cake in a container in the fridge for 3–4 days, or 1 week in the freezer. If putting it in the freezer, let it defrost in the fridge overnight.

Serving suggestion

This cake is better to eat at room temperature. So I’d suggest taking it out from the fridge to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

Tips for Success

  • Weight your ingredients. Weighing is always more accurate than measuring with spoons/cups.
  • Sift the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. These three ingredients tend to clump together under high humidity. So it’s better to sift them before mixing to make an even cake batter.
  • Don’t over mix. Over mixing usually makes cake taste tougher and change the whole texture. So just mix until the ingredients are combined.
  • Adjust the oven temperature if needed. Each oven is different, so adjust the temperature if you find your oven’s heat is stronger/weaker than normal. Or use an oven thermometer as a benchmark.
純素抹茶蛋糕 + 紅豆奶油糖霜 Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting

Questions You Might Have

純素抹茶蛋糕 + 紅豆奶油糖霜 Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting

Final Words

This vegan matcha layer cake is gorgeous with the green colours and red azuki beans in the frosting. The fluffy, not-too-sweet sponge cake together with the creamy sweet frosting is really delicious. 

I hope you will like this cake as much as I do. If you have further question thoughts, welcome to let me know by commenting down below.

Happy baking. x — Nora

More Vegan Recipes for Dessert lover:

Vegan Matcha Cake with Azuki Bean Frosting (Gluten-free)

Fluffy matcha sponge cake with creamy sweet azubi bean frosting, this Vegan Matcha Cake is unique and perfect for matcha and azuki bean lovers like me!
Author: Nora Hsu
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time3 hours 25 minutes
Total Time3 hours 55 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, baking, Japanese, vegan
Keyword: azuki bean, cake, dairy-free, gluten-free, matcha, vegan
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients

For the matcha cake

  • 115 ml unsweetened soy milk, or other plant-based milk (~1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar, or lemon juice
  • 72 g almond flour, (3/4 cup)
  • 80 g gluten-free plain flour, (3/4 cup) sifted if clumpy*
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda, (bicarbonate of soda)
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp matcha powder
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup, or another vegan syrup
  • 30 g extra-virgin coconut oil, (2 Tbsp) melted, or rapeseed oil
  • 2 Tbsp organic cane sugar, or golden caster sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Azuki bean frosting

  • 90 g vegan spread, cold, or vegan butter or coconut cream**
  • 2 Tbsp icing sugar, powder sugar
  • 100 g Sweetened Azuki Beans, ***

For assembly

  • 2-3 strawberries, optional

Instructions

To make matcha sponge cake

  • Preparation: Preheat the oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Line a 4-inch spring form cake tin (or 2 tins if you don’t feel comfortable slicing the cake in half later) with baking paper.
  • Make ‘buttermilk’: In a jar or a small bowl, mix the soy milk with apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes. In the meantime, let’s prepare other ingredients.
  • Mix the dry ingredients: To a big mixing bowl, add almond flour, gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and matcha powder. Use a whisk or a fork to mix all ingredients together.
  • Mix the wet ingredients: Add maple syrup, melted coconut oil, sugar, and vanilla extract to the ‘buttermilk’.
  • Combine dry and wet: Pour the wet mixture to the dry one. Use a whisk or a fork to whisk until combine. Don’t over mix. Use a silicone spatula to check all ingredients have been incorporated.
  • Prepare to bake: Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin (or divide it into 2 tins if using). Gently drop the tin against the counter to remove air bubbles inside.
  • Bake: Bake the cake in the preheated oven at 175 °C (350 °F) for around 20-25 minutes. Check with a toothpick inserted in the centre. It should come out clean.
  • Cool: Once the cake is baked, transfer the tin onto a wire rack to cool down completely. In the meantime, let’s make the frosting.

To make the azuki bean frosting

  • Whip up the 'butter': Add vegan spread and icing sugar to a mixing bowl. Use a whisk to beat them together until it becomes slightly fluffy.
  • Add azuki beans: Use a spatula to stir in the sweet azuki beans evenly.
  • Chill: Place the frosting in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up a bit.

Assemble

  • Remove the cake from the tin and cut out the bumping top. Flip it upside down and cut it into 2 slices. (If you use 2 tins, omit the slicing part.)
  • Spread about half of the azuki bean frosting on top of a cake slice. Then place another cake on top. Spread the rest (or enough) frosting to cover the top. Add strawberry slices if using. Then slice and enjoy!

Notes

  • *Gluten-free flour: Use any gluten-free all-purpose flour, or use regular plain flour if not require gluten-free.
  • **Coconut cream: Refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight. Then open the tin to scoop out the solid part on top to whisk. Detailed recipe: How to Make Coconut Whipped Cream.
  • ***Sweetened Azuki beans: I always make my own azuki bean paste because it’s fairly easy to me and I can have control over the sweetness. (Homemade Sweetened Azuki Bean Recipe) (The store-bought ones are usually too sweet for me) But you can definitely buy them (like this one if that’s easier for you.
  • ****Cake size: This recipe makes one 4-inch (12 cm) double layered cake. If you want to make a 6 -inch double layered cake, double all the ingredients in this recipe. For an 8-inch cake, triple (times 3) the full recipe.
  • *****Frosting: I use vegan spread (non-dairy margarine) because it’s easier to get. But it melts if the temperature is too high. So make sure to let it stay in the fridge until you’re going to use it.
  • Storage: Store the cake in a container in the fridge for 3–4 days, or 1 week in the freezer. If putting it in the freezer, let it defrost in the fridge overnight. Serving: This cake is better to eat at room temperature. So I’d suggest taking it out from the fridge to sit for 5 minutes before serving. 
  • Adapted from Rhian’s Recipes
  • Recommended equipment: I use Pyrex Mixing Bowl and Instant Pot (to cook the azuki beans) in this recipe. For more of my favourite baking tools and ingredients, please shop my pantry staples & kitchen tools.
Nora
Nora

我是 Nora 葉子,一個從 ED 恢復、熱愛烘焙料理的創作者,2018 年轉變成 Vegan,希望透過分享能讓大家更認識全植物食物的美好。

Hi, I'm Nora, a creative who loves baking, cooking, and sharing. After turning vegan in 2018, I hope to share my joy and wonderful plant-based recipes with the world.

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