Matcha Frog Cake with Easy Whipped Cream Frosting
This tutorial will walk you through how I decorated two frog cakes! The cakes are light, fluffy, full of matcha flavor, and a simple design for any beginner baker to tackle. Want to make a different flavor? Feel free to use any cake recipe you like, even if it's boxed cake mix + store-bought frosting. Simply follow my step-by-step assembly instructions to create your own frog cake! :)
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 534kcal
Equipment
- Parchment Paper
- offset spatula
- large bowl for dry ingredients
- 2 large mixing bowls for cake batter and whipped cream
- medium bowl to whip egg whites
- 2 small bowls for dying frosting
- Wire rack
- serrated knife
- Piping bag
Ingredients
Matcha Cake:
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp matcha
- 2 egg yolks room temperature
- 2 egg whites room temperature
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk room temperature
Dry ingredients:
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp table salt
Matcha Whipped Cream:
- 4 oz block cream cheese softened
- 1 - 1 ½ tbsp matcha powder sifted, adjust to taste
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream chilled
- 1-2 tsp black cocoa powder for eyes + smile decorations
- 1 tsp freeze dried strawberry powder for blush decoration
Instructions
Matcha cake layers:
- Grease and line two 6-inch springform pans (at least 3 inches tall). Preheat oven to 325°F/162°C.
- In a large bowl, stir together 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp baking powder, and 1 tsp table salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use hand mixer to cream softened 1 cup unsalted butter, 1 ¾ cup granulated sugar, and 1 tbsp matcha until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl with silicone spatula.
- Add in 2 egg yolks and 1 tbsp vanilla extract. Mix until smooth.
- Mix in half of the dry ingredients until just combined, and then mix in half of the buttermilk. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Repeat once more with remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk. The batter should be thick and fluffy. Do not overmix.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whip 2 egg whites until you get fluffy and thick stiff peaks. Make sure to use a clean bowl and beaters or else the egg whites will not whip correctly!Gently fold the fluffy egg whites into your cake mixture until just combined. There should be no more white streaks left in the batter.
- Evenly spread cake batter into prepared pans and bake for 35-45 minutes, checking at the 30-minute mark. (As a general rule of thumb, cake pan should be filled about two-thirds full with batter. If you have extra, make cupcakes!)To test if it is done, stick a toothpick in the center. If it comes out clean, it's done baking. You can also lightly press on the center of the cake with your finger—if it springs back, it's done baking.
- Let cakes cool in pan for 15 minutes before removing. Let cake layers fully cool on wire rack.
Matcha whipped cream:
- In a large mixing bowl, use hand mixer to whip 4 oz block cream cheese and 1 - 1 ½ tbsp matcha powder on medium speed until smooth, about 2-4 minutes.
- Turn the mixer to low and add ¾ cup powdered sugar, one third at a time. Mix until just combined.
- Add 1 tbsp vanilla extract. Turn the mixer to medium speed and slowly drizzle in 2 cups heavy cream.Stop mixing as soon as you reach stiff peaks: there should be visible track marks from the whisk and the cream easily holds its shape.
- Add 1 tbsp frosting to each of your 2 small bowls. Mix in 1-2 tsp black cocoa powder to one of them to create black frosting for the frog facial details. Mix in 1 tsp freeze dried strawberry powder to the other bowl to make pink-ish frosting for the blush. Transfer to their own piping bags and set aside for later.
Assembly:
- Note: We will be creating one frog cake at a time. Each cake layer will be cut in half, combined, and turned into one frog. So, in the end we will have 2 frog cakes!
- Place cake board on top of a cake turntable.
- Place one cake layer down on your cake board. Cut the cake down the middle to create two semicircles. Keep one piece on the cake board, and place the other cake slice aside.
- Using an offset spatula, add a layer of matcha whipped cream. Place the second half of the cake on top.
- Turn the entire cake over so the cut sides are completely touching the cake board. Use your offset spatula to frost the entire cake.
- Fill your piping bag with some frosting. Cut a large tip and pipe on 2 big dollops on the top of the cake to create the eyes.
- Use black and pink frostings to create frog faces.
- Repeat assembly process with second cake layer! Enjoy!!
Notes
- This cake layer recipe was adapted from Divas Can Cook's Moist Yellow Cake Recipe!
- No buttermilk? For every cup of buttermilk, use 1 cup whole milk + 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice. Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes before using.
- Storage: Lightly plastic wrap the entire cake or keep cake slices in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Eat cake at room temperature.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 534kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 411mg | Potassium: 131mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 1294IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 2mg
