Matcha Cashew Praline Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache
I included two options of frosting in this recipe: Whipped Chocolate Ganache or Matcha Buttercream. I recommend you to choose one to avoid too much clashing of flavors.
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 434kcal
Ingredients
- 500 g (4 cups) all purpose flour ,sifted
- 4 tsp baking powder ,sifted
- 1 tsp baking soda ,sifted
- 1 tsp salt
- 20 g (8 tsp) matcha powder ,sifted
- 220 g (1 cup) mashed banana
- 140 mL (⅔ cup) olive oil
- 220 g (⅔ cup) pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 84 g (¼ cup + 2 tbsp) coconut sugar or brown/white sugar
- 300 mL (1¼ cup) plant based milk ,room temp
- 3 tbsp lemon juice ,about 1 med. sized lemon
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vegan butter ,for greasing the cake pans
Cashew Praline
- 225 g raw cashews ,I used split cashews
- 150 g white sugar
- 50 g water
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp sea salt
Option 1: Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 16 oz dark chocolate ,chopped
- 320 g coconut cream*
Option 2: Matcha Buttercream
- 225 g (1 cup) vegan butter ,softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 480 g (4 cups) confectionary sugar ,sifted
- 3-5 tsp matcha powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
Cashew Praline
- In a heavy bottomed pan or wide pot, heat the water and sugar until bubbly and an amber caramel begins to form. Avoid stirring during this process. Instead swirl the pan or wash down the edges with a pastry brush dipped in water. For those with a thermometer, it should reach 245°F (118°C).
- Once the caramel reaches the correct temperature or is an amber gold, immediately add in the cashews, stirring frequently. The sugar will begin to crystallize and form a white coating around the nuts. Make sure to keep your eye on the nuts and continuously stir until the sugar eventually melts and returns to a gold caramel coating around the nuts. Transfer to a lined baking sheet, lay out evenly and leave to cool.
- Once cool, place the nuts in a food processor to create a smooth (or chunky) praline butter. Use immediately or store in an airtight glass container.
Matcha Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, grease with butter and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
- In a big measuring cup, pour in the milk and lemon and leave to curdle for around 5 minutes. This will be your vegan buttermilk.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and give it a quick whisk. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the cake ingredients. Pour the wet mixture to the dry, stirring until there are no large clumps of flour left. Evenly divide the batter among the cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool for 5 minutes, then carefully unmold and turn out to a wire rack to cool completely*
Whipped Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Meanwhile make the ganache. In a heavy bottomed pot placed on medium heat, warm the coconut cream until it just reaches a boil. Remove from the stove and pour in the chopped chocolate, making sure to cover most of the chocolate in the hot cream and leaving it alone to melt. After 5-10 minutes, stir the ganache until smooth and glossy, setting it aside to cool and firm up.
- Once the ganache has cooled and thickened, pour into a bowl and whip until light and fluffy. Use immediately to decorate your cake.
Matcha Buttercream
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the salt and vanilla and beat until smooth. If using the frosting for decorating/piping, separate ⅓ of the buttercream to use or to tint with different colors later. Otherwise add in the matcha powder starting with 2 teaspoons and adding more depending on how green or how much of the tea you would like to taste.
Assembly
- Place the first cake layer, top-side down, and create a frosting dam* using a piping bag to hold the filling in. Dollop a generous amount of the praline at the center and evenly spread to the edges of the frosting barrier. The filling should be slightly lower than the frosting to avoid it oozing out later on.
- Place the second layer, bottom-side up, on top of the cake and press it down lightly so it adheres to the bottom layers. Dollop the rest of the frosting on the top of the cake and use an offset spatula to spread and coax it to the sides of the cake. Smoothing and swirling as you like.
- Once the cake is all frosted, pipe on any decorations with the leftover frosting. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*I like to make the praline and the cake a day before I plan to serve it to distribute the prep time. The praline can be made up to a week ahead of time and can be stored in an airtight glass container while the cake can be made a day ahead then stored in the fridge/freezer wrapped tightly in cling wrap. Make sure to properly thaw the cake before decorating.
*Coconut cream is the solidified white cream that forms after refrigerating canned coconut milk. Just scoop out the white part and leave the rest for another recipe or a smoothie.
*Please see the tips section of this post for help on creating the praline, making a frosting dam and general tips on how to assemble a layer cake.
Cake adapted from Making Thyme For Health