Matcha Gateau au Chocolat 抹茶ガトーショコラ

Matcha Gateau au Chocolat. photo by Namiko Chen

This is a Japanese rendition of the classic French chocolate cake! Made with white chocolate and green tea, this Matcha Gateau au Chocolat is rich, moist and intensely flavorful. Warm it up slightly before you enjoy it — the melty texture is to die for!

Are you a big fan of matcha desserts? If yes, I have a treat for you: a heavenly Matcha Gateau au Chocolat (抹茶ガトーショコラ) or Matcha Chocolate Cake. Smooth, rich and deep with matcha flavor, it’s everything you need for a perfect cake that makes your day. Imagine cozying up with a slice and a cup of coffee or green tea in hand. What a simple joy in life!

What is Gateau au Chocolat?
Before we begin, you may wonder about the origin of this dessert. Gateau au Chocolat is a French term for a chocolate cake.

Every country must have its version of a popular chocolate cake.

In Japan, French-style pastries, Gateau au Chocolat, or what we call Gato Shokora (ガトーショコラ), is very popular, and we even have a green tea version made with white chocolate and matcha. That’s what we’re making today.

How to Decide Which Matcha to Use
I receive matcha-related questions a lot, so I want to cover this topic in this post. There are a few important tips to consider when you shop for matcha online.

Tip 1: Matcha quality is everything
When you buy matcha online, you can’t taste it so you have to rely on the color of matcha. The higher quality the matcha is, the brighter and more vivid the “matcha color” (yes, we go with the term “matcha color”).

The good quality matcha has:
A beautiful and vivid green
A lovely fragrance
More umami
Less bitter taste

Low-quality matcha has:
A yellowish/brownish green
Less fragrance
Less umami
A more bitter taste

If you buy from a good trustable tea shop, even the “low quality” matcha is a decent choice. You should also look for the matcha product’s country of origin. And remember to check the expiration date.

Many of you ask why your matcha dessert doesn’t have a nice color. The culprit is very likely the quality of the matcha.

Tip 2: Don’t buy matcha in a big bag or large volume
Premium quality matcha rarely goes on sale. Even if it does, do not buy in big volume because you need to use it in two to three weeks once you open the package. Matcha oxidizes and turns to a yellow-green color as time passes. Unless you’re running a commercial bakery, I wouldn’t buy a big bag of matcha for home use.

Tip 3: Make sure it’s 100 percent matcha
Many of you may not notice — some matcha may contain sugar or milk powder. These products are for making lattes. To make matcha desserts, you will need 100 percent pure matcha. The ingredients should not include sugar and natural flavorings.

Where to Get Matcha
Your local Japanese grocery stores should carry a few brands of matcha. But if there are no stores in your area, you can try purchasing online. I have a few recommendations.

Ippodo Matcha (一保堂; My favorite tea shop in Japan/NYC where I get all kinds of tea and matcha)
Naoki Matcha (I’ve tried many of their matcha products for sponsorship, and they are all excellent quality.)
Maeda-en Matcha (Japanese grocery stores in the U.S. usually carry this brand.)

How to Make Matcha Gateau au Chocolat
Ingredients You’ll Need
White chocolate — please use “baking” white chocolate
Unsalted butter
Matcha
Eggs
Cake flour — You can make cake flour with all-purpose flour and cornstarch (see the recipe)
Milk — I made this cake with whole and 2 percent milk and both work great!
Salt
Cake Pan

I use the same 6×3 inch round cake pan (http://ow.ly/u8c450LT0kw) that I use for Basque Cheesecakes (Regular https://www.justonecookbook.com/basque-burnt-cheesecake/ and Matcha https://www.justonecookbook.com/matcha-basque-cheesecake/). If you want to use a different size pan, please adjust the ingredient amount and baking time. You will need to double the recipe for an eight-inch or nine-inch cake pan, and triple the recipe for a 10-inch or 11-inch cake pan. Please note that the thickness of the cake will vary.

Overview: Cooking Steps
1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler. Then, add the matcha and mix well.
2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar, and add in the matcha mixture.
3. Add milk and sift the flour into the mixture.
4. Beat the egg whites and fold into the batter.
5. Bake and let cool completely. Enjoy!

Important Tips to Remember
We use a double boiler to melt the chocolate and butter. A double boiler consists of a pot and a heatproof metal or glass bowl that fit together snugly — the top bowl holds the ingredient(s); the bottom holds simmering water. Unlike a water bath, the water in a double boiler doesn’t touch the top bowl.

Beat egg yolks and sugar until the mixture becomes pale yellow and thick and forms a ribbon.

Don’t over mix the cake batter after flour is added. Overmixing can lead to cakes that are tough, gummy or unpleasantly chewy.

You can beat egg whites with a whisk but your arms may fall off. It is easier to use an electric hand-held mixer or a stand mixer.

Fold (not mix!) the beaten egg whites into the cake batter. What you’re doing is making the batter light and fluffy by incorporating air into the mix. I’ll explain in detail in the recipe card below.

Favorite Matcha Recipes on JOC
Matcha Basque Cheesecake
Matcha Chocolate
Matcha Cookies
Matcha Donut (Baked)
Matcha Ice Cream
Matcha Madeleine
Matcha Marbled Pound Cake
Matcha Mille Crepe Cake
Matcha Swiss Roll
Matcha Souffle Pancake
Matcha Tiramisu

Matcha Gateau au Chocolat
A Japanese rendition of the classic French chocolate cake! Made with white chocolate and green tea, this Matcha Gateau au Chocolat is rich, moist and intensely flavorful. Warm it up slightly before you enjoy it.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Cooling Time: 4 hrs
Total Time: 4 hrs 55 mins
Servings: 1 (6-inch/15-cm) cake

Ingredients
3.5 oz white chocolate (https://www.lindtusa.com/white-chocolate-classic-recipe-bar-6501) (this 4 oz white chocolate bar is 113.5 g. We will remove one square block of chocolate so it’ll be 3.5 oz/100 g; you can also use a kitchen scale.)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder) https://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-powder-matcha/
1/4 cup whole milk (I also tested with 2 percent reduced fat milk and the cake come out successfully.)
3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell) (separated)
3 Tbsp sugar (for the egg yolks)
3 Tbsp cake flour (if you’re using a cup measurement, follow this method so you don’t scoop more flour than you need https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-measure-flour/; DO NOT use a different type of flour; you can make your own Homemade Cake Flour https://www.justonecookbook.com/cake-flour/)
1/8 tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
3 Tbsp sugar (for egg whites)
1 Tbsp confectioners’ sugar/powdered sugar (optional; for dusting)

Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, visit https://www.justonecookbook.com/ingredient-substitution-for-japanese-cooking/.

For the full recipe, visit https://www.justonecookbook.com/matcha-gateau-au-chocolat/.