CakesJapaneseEasy

Matcha White Chocolate Loaf

Name: Matcha White Chocolate Loaf
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: ½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing the pan; ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar; 2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract; 1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; reserve 1 tablespoon (8 g) for tossing the chocolate; 2 tablespoons (12 g) culinary-grade matcha powder, sifted; 1½ teaspoons (6 g) baking powder; ½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt; ½ cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream or plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature; ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature; 4 ounces (115 g) white chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces; 2 ounces (55 g) white chocolate, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream; ½ teaspoon (1 g) culinary-grade matcha powder, for dusting (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A tender, moist loaf with grassy, earthy matcha balanced by creamy pockets of white chocolate and finished with a white chocolate drizzle. Sour cream keeps the crumb soft for days.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 55 min
Wait: 1 hr 35 min
Total: 3 hr
Makes: 1 loaf (10 slices)

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Ingredients

10 servings

For the loaf
½ cup (1 stick) (113 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing the pan
¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
2 whole (100 g) large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
1½ cups (190 g) all-purpose flour, spooned into the cup and leveled; reserve 1 tablespoon (8 g) for tossing the chocolate
2 tablespoons (12 g) culinary-grade matcha powder, sifted
1½ teaspoons (6 g) baking powder
½ teaspoon (3 g) fine salt
½ cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream or plain whole-milk yogurt, at room temperature
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk, at room temperature
4 ounces (115 g) white chocolate, chopped into ¼-inch (6 mm) pieces
For the glaze
2 ounces (55 g) white chocolate, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (15 ml) heavy cream
½ teaspoon (1 g) culinary-grade matcha powder, for dusting (optional)

Equipment (8)

9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan
Parchment paper
Stand mixer or hand mixer with large bowl
Fine-mesh sieve
Rubber spatula
Wire cooling rack
Small heatproof bowl and saucepan (or microwave-safe bowl)
Toothpick or cake tester

Steps

Before you start

Set out the butter, eggs, and sour cream 1 hour ahead so they are at room temperature; cold ingredients make a curdled, dense batter.
Use culinary-grade or ceremonial matcha that is bright green; dull, brownish matcha will taste bitter and bake up khaki.
Plan on about 3 hours in total, including 1 hour of cooling before glazing.
Chop the white chocolate from a bar if you can; chips contain stabilizers and stay firmer.

1
Prepare oven and panOven 350°F / 175°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a 9×5-inch (23×13 cm) loaf pan with butter, then line the bottom and the two long sides with a strip of parchment, leaving a 2-inch (5 cm) overhang to use as handles.
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Ready when: Pan is fully greased and parchment lies flat against the bottom and long sides.
Tip: A parchment sling makes unmolding easy and protects the delicate white chocolate from sticking and scorching.
2
Whisk dry ingredients
- Sift the matcha through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, then add the flour (minus the 1 tablespoon you are reserving), baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk for 30 seconds until the mixture is one even green color with no pale streaks.
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Ready when: The powder is uniformly pale green with no white streaks or dark green clumps.
Tip: Matcha clumps easily; sifting is the only way to avoid bitter green specks in the finished loaf.
3
Cream butter and sugar
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping down the bowl once or twice, until pale, fluffy, and noticeably increased in volume.
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Ready when: The mixture looks pale yellow and fluffy, like thick frosting, and no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your fingers.
4
Beat in eggs
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for 30 seconds after each and scraping the bowl in between.
- Beat in the vanilla.
- The batter should look smooth and glossy.
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Ready when: Batter is smooth and glossy with no visible streaks of egg.
Tip: If it looks slightly curdled, that is fine; it will come together once the flour goes in.
5
Alternate dry and wet
- Whisk the sour cream and milk together in a small bowl until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry mixture in three additions, alternating with the sour cream mixture in two additions, starting and ending with the dry.
- Mix just until the last streaks of flour disappear, then finish by hand with a spatula.
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Ready when: Batter is thick, uniformly green, and spreadable, with no dry flour pockets.
Tip: Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears; overmixing makes the loaf tough and tunneled.
6
Fold in white chocolate
- Toss the chopped white chocolate with the reserved 1 tablespoon of flour in a small bowl to coat.
- Fold it into the batter with a spatula using 8 to 10 gentle strokes.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spread it level, and tap the pan firmly on the counter twice to release large air bubbles.
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Ready when: Chocolate pieces are evenly distributed and the batter surface is level.
7
Bake the loafOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 50 to 55 minutes, rotating the pan front to back after 30 minutes.
- If the top darkens or turns brownish too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the last 15 minutes.
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Ready when: A toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs (a smear of melted white chocolate is fine, but no wet batter); the top springs back when lightly pressed and the internal temperature is 205°F (96°C).
Tip: Don't open the oven in the first 30 minutes or the center may sink.
8
Cool in the pan
- Set the pan on a wire rack and let the loaf rest for 15 minutes.
- Run a thin knife along the short ends, then lift the loaf out using the parchment handles and set it on the rack.
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Ready when: The loaf feels set and releases cleanly from the pan.
9
Cool completely
- Peel the parchment away from the sides and let the loaf cool on the rack for about 1 hour, until it feels completely cool to the touch on the bottom as well as the top.
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Ready when: The bottom of the loaf feels cool, not warm, against your palm.
Tip: Glazing a warm loaf makes the white chocolate slide off and pool.
10
Melt the glaze
- Place the glaze white chocolate and cream in a small heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely simmering water (bowl should not touch the water).
- Stir constantly with a small spatula over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth.
- Alternatively, microwave in 15-second bursts, stirring after each.
- Remove from the heat and let cool for 1 minute.
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Ready when: Glaze is smooth, glossy, and flows off the spatula in a thick ribbon with no lumps.
Tip: White chocolate scorches easily; remove it from the heat as soon as the last lumps vanish.
11
Glaze and set
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled loaf with a spoon, moving back and forth in lines.
- If using, dust lightly with the matcha through a fine sieve.
- Let the loaf stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then slice with a serrated knife.
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Ready when: The glaze is matte and firm to a gentle touch, with no tackiness.
Tip: Wipe the knife between slices for neat edges.

Good to know

Tips

Weigh the flour if you can; too much flour is the most common cause of a dry loaf.
Fresh matcha matters: a bright green powder gives a bright green loaf, while old matcha bakes up dull and bitter.
Cut the cooled loaf with a serrated knife using a gentle sawing motion so the white chocolate chunks don't tear the crumb.
The matcha color will deepen slightly overnight and the flavor will mellow, making day two even better.

Make ahead

"Bake the loaf up to 1 day ahead, cool completely, wrap tightly, and store at room temperature; glaze the day you serve. The unglazed loaf also freezes well for up to 3 months."

Storage & reheating

"Room temperature: airtight for up to 3 days. Refrigerator: up to 5 days; bring slices to room temperature or warm for 10 seconds in the microwave before serving. Freezer: wrap unglazed slices individually in plastic and foil for up to 3 months; thaw at room temperature for 1 hour, or reheat a slice at 300°F (150°C) for 8 minutes."

Substitutions

full-fat sour cream or plain whole-milk yogurt → plain whole-milk Greek yogurt. Thin it with 1 tablespoon of extra milk if very thick; texture will be nearly identical.
unsalted butter → neutral oil (½ cup / 105 ml). The loaf will be moister but lose some buttery flavor; mix oil with the eggs rather than creaming.
white chocolate → white chocolate chips. Chips hold their shape more, so you get distinct chunks rather than melty pockets.
whole milk → unsweetened oat milk. Works as a dairy-free swap for the milk; use a dairy-free yogurt as well for a fully dairy-free loaf.