Matcha Chiffon Cake Sandwiches

These matcha chiffon cake sandwiches are individual servings of soft and fluffy matcha chiffon cake filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It's a fun way to serve this cake as if you're in a cafe or bakery!

Why you'll love this recipe

• Soft and fluffy chiffon cake. As always, this matcha chiffon cake is light, soft, and spongey.
• Matcha and strawberry flavours. They're a go-to flavour pairing. The earthy and mellow matcha flavour is balanced with fruity and refreshing strawberries.
• Light and airy textures. Both the chiffon cake and whipped cream are light and creamy. So satisfying and delicious!
• It's not too sweet. This cake is perfect for those who love desserts that aren't cloyingly sweet. It tastes just like cakes you would find at Asian bakeries.
• Individual slices of cake. These matcha chiffon cake sandwiches are a fun and easy way to make pre-sliced individual servings of cake that are decorated individually. Perfect for potlucks, bake sales, or for gifting where you wouldn't want a whole cake.

Tools

• Electric hand mixer - A hand mixer is essential for whipping the meringue to stiff peaks. It will take a very, very long time if you try to do it manually with a regular whisk. I would highly recommend picking up a hand mixer or stand mixer if you bake often.
• 10" tube pan - Tube pans (also called angel food cake pans or chiffon cake pans) have a removable bottom and inner tube that helps distribute heat so that large cakes bake evenly and thoroughly. Tube pans usually have three prongs on the rim that act as feet when you cool the cake upside down. They also don't have a nonstick coating so that chiffon cakes can grab onto the walls and rise higher.
• Piping bag - You'll need a piping bag to pipe the whipped cream filling into each cake sandwich. You can also use a ziploc bag with a corner cut off or simply plop the whipped cream on with a spoon.
• Piping tip (optional) - If you want to pipe the whipped cream in a design, you'll need a piping tip. I used a large closed star piping tip for mine.

Ingredients

• Eggs - You'll need to separate the egg whites from the egg yolks for this recipe. Chiffon cake is made by whipping the egg whites into a meringue and then adding it to the egg yolks afterward. Make sure you don't get any egg yolk in the egg whites otherwise, they won't whip up to stiff peaks properly.
• Cream of tartar - This is an acidic powder that helps stabilize the egg whites so that it whips up quickly and becomes a stronger meringue.
• Granulated sugar - You'll need to divide the sugar into 100g and 50g to be added to the egg whites and egg yolks, respectively. It's not absolutely necessary to separate them. You could add all of it to the egg whites but I've found that I have slightly better results when I do separate them.
• Milk - Use any dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice. I usually use oat milk or almond milk as that's what I have on hand.
• Oil - Use any light-tasting oil like canola oil, avocado oil, or grapeseed oil. Oil-based cakes are great because they won't harden in the fridge like butter. Chiffon cakes will stay soft even straight out of the fridge.
• Vanilla extract
• Cake flour - Cake flour is more finely milled and contains less gluten than all-purpose flour, leading to softer cakes with a finer crumb.
• Baking powder - Most of the leavening in chiffon cake is done by whipping air into the egg whites but baking powder can be added as a backup. I usually include it out of habit just in case the meringue fails.
• Matcha powder - Use a ceremonial-grade matcha powder or a high-quality culinary-grade matcha powder. Although it's more expensive, I prefer using ceremonial matcha powder in baked goods because they usually have a more vibrant green colour and better matcha flavour.
• Whipping cream - Use whipping cream or heavy cream for a richer and thicker cream.
• Powdered sugar
• Vanilla extract
• Strawberries - You'll need to finely dice some of the strawberries and slice some of them in half (or leave them whole), depending on how you want to fill and decorate your chiffon cake sandwiches.

How to make matcha chiffon cake sandwiches

Prep - Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and matcha powder. Set aside.

Separate eggs - Separate the egg whites and egg yolks into two separate large mixing bowls, being careful not to get any of the yolks in the egg whites. Set aside the bowl of yolks.

Beat egg whites - To the bowl of egg whites, add cream of tartar. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the egg whites on medium speed until it resembles cappuccino foam. Sprinkle in 100g of sugar, one spoonful at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Continue beating until it becomes stiff peaks. Set aside.

Egg yolk mixture - To the bowl of egg yolks, add the remaining 50g of sugar, milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Use the same hand mixer to mix until combined.

Sift in flour - Use a fine mesh sieve to sift the flour mixture into the egg yolk mixture. Mix until combined.

Fold meringue into egg yolk mixture - Add ⅓ of the egg white meringue to the egg yolk mixture. Fold together with a spatula until mostly combined. Add the rest of the meringue and fold together until no streaks remain and the batter is fluffy and airy.

Fill pan - Pour the cake batter into a 10" ungreased tube pan, pouring in one spot and letting the batter flow into the rest of the pan to avoid creating air pockets. Lift and drop the pan onto the counter once to release any large air bubbles.

Bake - Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges and top of the cake start to lightly brown. After removing the cake from the oven, immediately flip the pan over and let the cake cool completely for at least 2-3 hours upside down, resting on the legs of the pan or a wire rack for airflow underneath.

Release cake - When the cake has cooled, flip it back over and run an offset spatula or skewer around the outer edges of the cake. Pull the inner tube upwards to release the cake. Flip the cake upside down and pull the inner tube out of it.

Slice - With a serrated knife, cut the cake into 6-8 wedges. Turn each slice 90° so that the outer side of the cake is now on the bottom. Cut a slit into the cake lengthwise, without cutting all the way through.

Whip cream - In a large mixing bowl, add whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Whip with a hand mixer until it becomes firm peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a piping tip of your choice.

Fill with whipped cream and strawberries - Pipe a line of whipped cream into the slit of each cake. Add a spoonful of diced strawberries on top. Pipe more whipped cream on top to fill the rest of the slot. Top with a halved strawberry. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Storage

These matcha chiffon cake sandwiches can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezing

Leftovers can be frozen by placing them in an airtight container or wrapping them well in plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and freezing for up to 1 month.

Thaw in the overnight or at room temperature for several hours before eating.

Tips for success

• Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. This is the most important step when making chiffon cake. When you pull the mixer out of the meringue, the meringue should leave small spikes on the surface and the beaters that stand up on their own while the tip curls over slightly. You should be able to turn the bowl of meringue upside down and it shouldn't move at all.
• Let the cake cool upside down. This is key to retaining height in your chiffon cake and preventing it from sinking after you take it out of the oven. Let the cake cool completely in this way.
• Don't cut the slit too deep. Leave about 1" of cake at the bottom to hold the sandwich together. Try not to pry open the sandwich too much when you're filling it otherwise, you might rip it apart.

Frequently asked questions

More chiffon cake recipes to try

• Earl Grey Chiffon Cake
• Strawberry Chiffon Cake
• Mango Chiffon Cake
• Pandan Coconut Cake

Recipe