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”
Green Tea "Pound Cake" with Cashew Cream Drizzle
Ingredients
Almond Green Tea "Pound Cake"
- 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)
Vanilla Cashew Cream Drizzle
- 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
Instructions
Almond Green Tea "Pound Cake"
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease two 6-inch cake pans* with coconut oil/butter/oil and line bottoms with parchment paper and set aside.
- 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.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry along with the coconut oil and stir until combined.
- 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!
Vanilla Cashew Cream Drizzle
- 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.
- Pour into a small mixing bowl and add honey/agave, protein powder and salt. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Drizzle over cake.
*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
