Matcha Roll Cake — green-tea sponge rolled around whipped cream

i. Origin & history

Rolled sponge cakes came to Japan with Western-style baking in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and the rōru kēki became a standard of the Japanese yōgashi (Western confectionery) shop alongside the strawberry shortcake. Japanese bakers adapted them as they did many European cakes: lighter, softer, less sweet, and built around fresh cream.

Roll cakes enjoyed a notable boom in the 2000s. The Dōjima Roll from the Osaka pâtisserie Mon cher — a very soft sponge wrapped around an unusually thick core of fresh cream — is often credited with starting it, and soon department stores and convenience stores sold rolls defined more by their cream than their cake. That style, with a thin sponge and generous cream, is now what most people in Japan think of as a roll cake.

Matcha is one of the most popular flavours. Green tea from Uji, near Kyoto, and other tea regions has been used in Western-style sweets in Japan since the twentieth century, and its slightly bitter, grassy flavour balances sweet cream. Matcha rolls are often paired with sweet red beans (azuki), chestnuts, or white chocolate, and appear in every season.

Rolled sponge cakes are found all over the world: the French bûche de Noël, the South American pionono, and the British Swiss roll. The Japanese matcha roll is closest in spirit to the strawberry-and-cream rolls of Japanese bakeries and to strawberry shortcake.

ii. How to roll without cracking

The sponge must be soft and flexible enough to roll after cooling. European Swiss rolls often use a fatless sponge rolled while hot to 'train' it into shape. Japanese roll cakes usually use a bessatsu, or separated-egg, sponge enriched with oil and milk, similar to a chiffon cake. The yolks, oil and milk keep the crumb moist and pliable, so the cake can be rolled cold without cracking; the meringue gives lift and a fine, even texture.

The meringue should be firm but glossy, beaten to soft-to-medium peaks that curl over at the tip. Stiff, dry meringue is hard to fold in and leaves white streaks; underbeaten meringue gives a flat, dense sponge. Matcha is sifted with the flour so it disperses evenly without lumps.

Matcha is sensitive to heat: overbaking turns its bright green to a dull brown-olive and makes it taste bitter. The sponge is thin, so it bakes in about 12–13 minutes at a moderate temperature. Once out of the oven, it is covered with baking paper as it cools to keep the surface moist; dry edges are what crack.

To roll, the sponge is laid on a fresh sheet of paper, the cream is spread thicker at the starting edge and thinner towards the end, and shallow cuts are made across the starting edge to help it curl. Using the paper to lift and roll, the cake is turned over the cream in one confident movement, then wrapped tightly and chilled so the cream sets and the roll holds its shape.

iii. Ingredients

Makes 8 servings · scroll the side panel to adjust

• 4 eggs, separated, at room temperature
• 20 g caster sugar, for the yolks
• 35 ml neutral oil
• 50 ml whole milk
• 60 g cake flour or plain flour
• 8 g matcha
• 60 g caster sugar, for the meringue
• 250 ml double or whipping cream, chilled
• 20 g caster sugar, for the cream
• 100 g sweet red-bean paste or fresh strawberries (optional)

Matcha quality shows here: bright green culinary-grade or 'latte grade' matcha gives good colour and flavour; dull, yellowish matcha tastes bitter and makes a brownish cake. Cake flour, low in protein, gives the softest crumb; plain flour works. A neutral oil such as sunflower keeps the sponge more flexible than butter. Whipping cream of 35–40% fat whips well and holds; Japanese bakers often use lightly sweetened cream, so keep the sugar low. Red-bean paste spread under the cream, or a line of strawberries, are classic additions.

iv. Method

1. Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F), or 160 °C fan. Line a 28 × 28 cm or 25 × 35 cm shallow tin with baking paper.
2. Whisk the egg yolks with the 20 g sugar until pale. Whisk in the oil, then the milk. Sift in the flour and matcha together and whisk until smooth.
3. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to foam, then gradually add the 60 g sugar and whisk to a glossy meringue with soft peaks that curl over at the tip.
4. Whisk a third of the meringue into the yolk mixture to loosen it, then gently fold in the rest in two additions until no white streaks remain.
5. Pour into the tin, spread level and tap once on the bench to remove large bubbles. Bake for 12–13 minutes, until the top springs back and a skewer comes out clean. Do not let it brown.
6. Slide the cake on its paper onto a rack, cover loosely with another sheet of paper and cool completely, about 30 minutes.
7. Whip the cream with the 20 g sugar to firm peaks. Turn the sponge over onto a fresh sheet of paper, peel off the baking paper and turn it browned side up. Make 3 shallow cuts across the near edge, 1 cm apart.
8. Spread the red-bean paste, if using, then the cream, thicker at the near edge and thinner at the far edge. Using the paper, roll the cake away from you into a tight spiral. Wrap in the paper, then cling film, seam-side down, and chill for at least 1 hour before slicing with a hot, dry knife.

v. Tips & common mistakes

• Sift the matcha with the flour. Matcha clumps easily and leaves dark green spots.
• Do not overbeat the meringue. Soft peaks fold in smoothly; stiff peaks leave lumps and a coarse sponge.
• Bake briefly. A minute too long dries the sponge, dulls the colour and causes cracking.
• Cover the sponge as it cools. This keeps the surface moist and flexible.
• Spread less cream at the far edge. Cream pushed forward as you roll will otherwise squeeze out of the end.
• Chill before slicing. Set cream gives clean spirals; wipe the knife between cuts.

vi. Variations

Common variations include matcha and red bean, with sweet azuki paste under the cream; matcha strawberry, with a row of strawberries rolled in the centre; and matcha white chocolate, with melted white chocolate whipped into the cream. Add 1 tsp matcha to the cream for a double green-tea roll. A hojicha roll uses roasted green tea for a toasty, caramel flavour — see hojicha ice cream. For a plain Japanese roll cake, leave out the matcha and add 8 g more flour.

Other rolled sponges on this site include the French bûche de Noël and the South American pionono. For other matcha sweets, the green tea is also central to uji kintoki kakigōri, and the Japanese café style appears in mochi mousse.

vii. Serving & storage

Serve matcha roll cake chilled, in 2–3 cm slices, with green tea or coffee. A dusting of matcha or icing sugar on top is a simple finish.

Keep the roll wrapped in the fridge for up to 2 days; the sponge stays soft because of the oil, but the cream is best within the first day. The roll can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to a month; thaw in the fridge for 3–4 hours. The unfilled sponge can be baked a day ahead and kept wrapped at room temperature.

ix. More from Japanese

• Melonpan — cookie-crusted sweet buns
• Hojicha Ice Cream — roasted-tea ice cream
• Anpan — red-bean buns
• Bûche de Noël — French Christmas log
• Pionono — South American rolled sponge
• Strawberry Shortcake — cream and berry cake