Green Tea “Pound Cake” with Cashew Cream Drizzle

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

To conclude the week of green foods, how about a green tea pound cake?

After seeing multiple posts from other bloggers using matcha green tea powder, I was itching to buy some for my own kitchen experiments. So far, I’ve only used matcha in a smoothie and in this cake recipe, and I’m quite pleased with the results so far. This fun-shaped cake is dense, moist and has a light matcha green tea flavor with a hint of almond and coconut.

I’ve concluded I really dig almond flavored cakes; there is something about the combination of almond flour + almond milk + a bit of almond extract that makes me happy 🙂 It just happens to be dairy-free and grain-free as well!

When St. Patty’s Day rolled around this year, I couldn’t wait to use the set of shamrock cookie cutters my mom gave me a while back. To me, food is more fun when consumed in different shapes..plus I’m always excited to make festive recipes! I used the HUGE cutter for this cake and cut out two shamrocks from my two 6 inch cake pans. And you better believe I happily ate all those leftovers “scraps” 🙂

I had to put “Pound Cake” in parentheses because the texture of the cake turned out much more dense than a fluffy white cake. Although this wasn’t my initial idea, it was still filling and very delicious! I am not sure how they would turn out if you baked them in a loaf pan like a traditional pound cake, but mini versions would probably work nicely.

Confession: I had this cake for breakfast three mornings in a row! I am happy to report that I didn’t crash from carb overload AND I was full for hours!

Almond Green Tea “Pound Cake”

Ingredients

3/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup blanched almond flour
6-8 Tbsp coconut palm sugar, erythritol, xylitol or other granulated sweetener
1/8 to 1/4 tsp pure stevia extract (or to taste)
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp unsweetened matcha green tea powder
5 eggs, whisked (room temperature is best)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup almond milk
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
6 Tbsp coconut oil, liquified (or butter, ghee or other oil of choice)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 6-inch cake pans* with coconut oil/butter/oil and line bottoms with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients (flours through salt) and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients except for coconut oil and whisk to combine.
3. Pour wet ingredients into dry along with the coconut oil and stir until combined.
4. Divide batter into two pans and smooth with a spatula or back of a spoon. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool completely and remove from pan. Cut with a giant cookie cutter if desired, drizzle with cashew cream (recipe below) and a dusting of matcha powder and enjoy!

*You could make about 16-18 cupcakes instead or you could bake this cake in a 11×7 pan, but please note that the baking time might need to be adjusted.

For the icing/glaze, I made a simple cashew cream drizzle with a little boost of protein. After all, I was eating this cake for breakfast 🙂 Even if you do not make the cake, this drizzle is versatile and can be used over scones, cakes, pancakes, waffles or donuts…yummm

Vanilla Cashew Cream Drizzle

Ingredients

1/2 cup raw cashews (I used cashew pieces), soaked for at least four hours
3/4 cup almond milk (or more if too thick)
2 tbsp honey or agave
1/2 scoop unsweetened vanilla protein powder (optional, can omit and add a dash of vanilla extract)
pinch of sea salt, optional

Directions

1. Soak cashews in water for four hours or more. Drain and add cashews to a high powered blender along with the almond milk and blend until smooth.
2. Pour into a small mixing bowl and add honey/agave, protein powder and salt. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Drizzle over cake.