Matcha Almond Layer Cake with Matcha Frosting

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When I was in high school I went vegan for about a year.  I loved how it was a challenge and surprisingly, I loved tofu (strange, right?).  The most memorable moment for me during that year was going to Barnes & Noble to buy some vegan cookbooks.  My favorite cookbook at the time was Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, it was filled with every sinful carby confection imaginable.

But I found that with every recipe I baked from that book, I wanted to eat the entire batch!  After learning more about nutrition and food in school I discovered the reason behind me wanting to eat all the cupcakes: they were nutritionally unbalanced!  Most of the recipes called for processed all purpose flour, lots of sugar and vegan "butter."  Just a few things your abs don't like very much...

And that's why I made my own version!  I made it whole wheat, added some protein powder and some yummy extracts (ooh, and then a rich, sweet frosting!)

Don't you just love the green color?  I find it strangely appetizing...

Matcha Almond Layer Cake:  [low fat, high protein]

(makes one 2-layer cake)

Dry:

   240g (2 cups) Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

   52g (1/4 cup) Sweet Matcha

   32g (1/4 cup) Arrowroot Starch

   30g (1 scoop) Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate

   1+1/2 tsp Baking Powder

   1/2 tsp Baking Soda

   1/4 tsp Salt

Wet:

   112g (1/2 cup) Plain, Nonfat Greek Yogurt

   182g (2/5 package) Silken Tofu

   123g (1/2 cup) Unsweetened Applesauce

   42g (2 tbs) Honey

   28g (2 tbs) Almond Oil (or any other neutral oil)

   1 tbs Vanilla Extract

   2 tsp Stevia Extract

   1 tsp Butter Extract

   3/4 tsp Almond Extract

   1/4 tsp Lemon Flavor

Directions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and spray two cake pans with PAM

2.  In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly mixed

3.  In a blender, add all the wet ingredients and puree until there are no more tofu clumps

4.  Pour the wet over dry, and fold until mixed (make sure there are no clumps, but don't overbeat)

5.  Pour into the baking pans and bake until surface begins to brown a little, doesn't spring back when you touch it and a toothpick comes out clean.  I'm sorry for the lack of a baking time, I forgot to set a timer!  But I can assure you that it bakes around 25ish to 35ish minutes

6.  When cake is cool, wrap each layer individually with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.  The next day, serve with the frosting recipe below!

Matcha Frosting:

   84g (6 tbs) Coconut Oil, room temp/slightly firm

   19g (1+1/2 tbs) Sweet Matcha

   126g (6 tbs) Honey

   55 drops Stevia Extract

   45g (1+1/2 scoops) Unflavored Whey Protein Isolate

Directions:

1.  In a medium bowl, add the coconut oil, sweet matcha, honey and stevia and mix until a thick, dark green paste

2.  Add the whey protein and stir until texture is even

3.  Put the bottom cake layer down and spoon some frosting onto it, spreading it out over the cake and on the sides (if the cake is warm at all, the frosting will not grip onto the cake, so have it a little cold)

4.  Center the top cake layer down and spoon the rest of the frosting on it, spread it over the cake and on the sides.  Use a square of wax paper to smoothen out the frosting

To store, tightly cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

I am really proud of this frosting.  Even though it looks like hummus at first and is annoying to spread, it has a similar taste and texture to those unhealthy Pillsbury frostings... this one is just a little on the green side.

And now, a little "nutritional showdown" between those cupcakes I made back in high school and the layer cake I made right here!  (both are for 1/8th of the total recipe)

On the left are the nutrition facts for Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World's Green Tea Cupcakes (includes icing and marzipan), and on the right are the nutrition facts for my Matcha Almond Layer Cake (includes the matcha frosting)

As you can see, the calorie- and fat-level are basically identical, but my version is lower carb, lower sugar, higher fiber and higher protein to keep you satiated for a longer period of time.  With my Matcha Almond Layer Cake, you will feel satisfied after one slice rather than all twelve cupcakes!

So moist.  So sweet.

Enjoy the green-ness!