For this new recipe, I've once again taken a great classic of French pastry on a journey to Japan. However, this delicious cherry matcha Basque cake keeps the texture and the elements of the traditional recipe:
- A dough that's crispy around the edges, wonderfully soft toward the center, with a buttery taste.
- A matcha pastry cream (that's where the little twist comes in).
- Black cherry jam.
I love Basque cakes made with cream and jam — it's always more indulgent, and it's all the more interesting here because matcha pairs perfectly with the flavor of cherry.
Little extra: I added lemon zest to the cake batter, which makes the whole thing very, very, very delicious!
The recipe is for an 18 cm cherry matcha Basque cake. We'll be using the organic ultra premium matcha.
The Cherry Matcha Basque Cake Recipe
The matcha pastry cream
- 165g of organic whole milk
- 6g of organic ultra premium matcha
- 1 organic egg yolk
- 30g of organic granulated sugar
- 20g of organic Maïzena (cornstarch)
The Basque cake dough
- 125g of organic softened butter
- 40g of organic muscovado sugar (or another whole cane sugar)
- 40g of organic brown sugar
- A good pinch of salt
- The zest of 1/2 organic lemon
- 50g of organic egg yolks
- 180g of organic T55 flour
- 2g of organic baking powder
- A little matcha to create the Basque cross on top
+ Good-quality black cherry jam: minimum 60g of fruit per 100g of product.
Cherry Matcha Basque Cake Method
The matcha pastry cream
Bring the whole milk to a boil with the matcha, whisking as soon as the milk starts to heat up in order to dissolve the matcha. At the same time, whisk the egg yolk with the granulated sugar until pale, then add the cornstarch. Pour the boiling milk over this mixture, stirring well, and return everything to the saucepan. Cook at a boil for about one minute, whisking constantly.
Transfer the matcha pastry cream to a container, press plastic wrap onto the surface, and let it cool at room temperature. You can put it in the fridge to speed up the cooling, but it doesn't necessarily need to be cold — just tempered.
The Basque cake dough
Using a stand mixer (with the paddle attachment) or by hand, work the softened butter with the whole cane sugar, the brown sugar, the salt, and the lemon zest.
Add the egg yolks, mix, then incorporate the flour with the baking powder without overworking the dough.
Take 25g of dough and work in a touch of matcha to color it. Roll it out thinly between two sheets of baking paper to about 8 cm in diameter (so there's room to cut out the Basque pattern) and place it in the freezer.
Divide the remaining dough into two portions, one slightly larger than the other.
Using your fingers, evenly press the smaller portion into an 18 cm cake ring and place it in the freezer.
Still using your fingers, press the second half into another well-buttered 18 cm tart ring, bringing the dough up the sides as you would when lining a tart.
Loosen the matcha pastry cream, place it in a piping bag fitted with a plain tip, and pipe it inside. Cover the cream with about three generous tablespoons of black cherry jam.
Take the dough disc out of the freezer and close up the Basque cake. Place it flat side up and press firmly around the edges so that the two halves of dough stick together.
Brush a little egg yolk over the entire surface of the cherry matcha Basque cake.
Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 160°C and continue baking for 45 minutes. During baking, once the small matcha dough disc we placed in the freezer is nice and firm, cut out the Basque pattern using a small knife, place it back in the freezer, and put it on top of the cake 10 minutes before the end of baking.
Let the cherry matcha Basque cake cool slightly before removing it from the ring then let it cool completely for at least 6 hours at room temperature before enjoying.
Happy baking and enjoy! 😀
Olivia is passionate — she is 21 years old and loves reading, yoga, and pastry.
