Print

Matcha Dot Cake: The Korean Bubble-Frosting Trend Taking Over Pinterest

Print Recipe

A browned-butter matcha sponge covered edge-to-edge in hundreds of piped whipped matcha white chocolate ganache dots, for the bumpy Korean-bakery look trending on Pinterest.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 3/4 cups (220g) cake flour, sifted
  • 2 tbsp culinary-grade matcha powder, sifted, plus extra for dusting
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, room temperature
  • 12 oz (340g) white chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream, divided, plus extra for thinning if needed
  • 2 tbsp culinary-grade matcha powder, plus 1 tbsp extra for the darker shade
  • Pinch of salt
  • Optional: edible gold leaf or fresh mint, for garnish

Instructions

  1. The night before: make the ganache base. Melt the white chocolate with 1/2 cup (120ml) of the cream over a double boiler until smooth, then whisk in the 2 tbsp matcha and a pinch of salt. Stir in the remaining cold cream, cover, and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
  2. Brown the butter: melt it in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling often, until it turns amber and smells nutty, about 5-6 minutes. Pour into a bowl (scraping up the browned bits) and cool to room temperature.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease two 6-inch cake pans, lining the bottoms with parchment.
  4. Whisk the cooled browned butter with the sugar until glossy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
  5. Whisk together the cake flour, 2 tbsp matcha, baking powder, and salt. Add to the wet mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk, mixing just until smooth.
  6. Divide the batter between the pans and bake 22-26 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely.
  7. Take the chilled ganache base and whip it with a hand or stand mixer, checking every 20 minutes, until it just holds a stiff peak — do not overwhip or it will curdle.
  8. Divide the whipped ganache into two bowls; stir the extra 1 tbsp matcha into one bowl for a deeper shade, leaving the other pale.
  9. Level the sponge layers, stack with a thin layer of the pale ganache in between, then apply a thin crumb coat over the whole cake and chill 15 minutes.
  10. Fit a piping bag with a round tip (Ateco 12 or similar) and pipe dots over the entire cake, starting with the darker shade at the base and working up to the pale shade near the top, keeping the tip perpendicular to the surface for round, even domes.
  11. Chill 20-30 minutes to set the dots before slicing, and dust with a little extra matcha if desired.

Notes

Use culinary-grade matcha, not ceremonial — it holds color better under heat and has the assertive flavor needed to stand up to butter and sugar. Whip the ganache in short bursts and check constantly; it goes from soft to grainy fast, and overwhipped ganache won"t pipe clean domes. If your kitchen is warm, chill the piping bag itself for 10 minutes before you start. The cake keeps 3 days refrigerated in an airtight container — bring to room temp about 20 minutes before serving so the ganache dots aren"t rock-hard.

Find it online: https://www.rapidrecipes.blog/matcha-dot-cake-the-korean-bubble-frosting-trend-taking-over-pinterest/