Vegan, Gluten Free Matcha Mug Cake (#Meatless Monday) & a Review of Kiss Me Organic's Matcha Green Tea Powder

Free of gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, nuts, corn

Ok, can I brag for a minute? I mean I really do try to be humble. I even share my failures with you - like my epic no-oats granola bar fail or the sugar-free lemon meringue pie that looked so wonderful but tasted so yucky.

But I have to say that I'm quite pleased with my latest experiment.

This vegan, gluten free mug cake is light, has a distinct green tea flavour, is quite healthy, and takes about 5 minutes to make.

Like most people living in and around Vancouver, British Columbia, I eat a lot of sushi. There's practically a sushi joint on every block, and in some places, more than one. Most sushi places also serve Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream, which I absolutely love.

By now some of you might be wondering: 

What is Matcha 

& 

What are the Health Benefits of Matcha?

Matcha is essentially green tea leaves that have been grown and processed in a very particular fashion, and the finely ground leaves are a long-standing part of traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. 

Matcha has been produced in a way that actually increases the antioxidant content by at least three times compared to plain green tea. [1]  Pound for pound, it has been found that matcha contains more antioxidants than other highly antioxidant foods such as blueberries, pomegranates, orange juice, spinach, and dark chocolate. [2]   Other studies also indicate that consuming matcha can help to relieve stress and aid weight loss.

I have heard of people reporting that they get an energy boost after consuming matcha. I'm not sure if that's because there's a bit of caffeine in green tea, though, or if there's something else about the matcha itself that boosts energy.

Whereas regular green tea is steeped and the leaves then removed, matcha is finely ground and consumed in the tea, ice cream, smoothies, or, in the case of this mug cake, in baked goods! 

Where Does One Get Matcha?

Some health food stores carry matcha green tea powder, as do some specialty Asian shops. Luckily for me, I was recently asked to review Kiss Me Organic's Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder, which is available here through Amazon.com or here through Amazon.ca if you happen to be in Canada. And of course, since I've long wanted to experiment with baking with matcha, there was no way I was going to turn down their offer!  

After having fiddled around a bit baking with Kiss Me Organic's Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder  I have to say that I do really like it. Now I'm not a matcha connoisseur, nor am familiar with traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. Those who are more steeped in tradition than I might have a better understanding of what types of tea grades are best for tea ceremonies, so if you're looking for pedigree here I can't speak to that.

However, for day to day use in plain tea, smoothies, or baked goods, I find that the Kiss Me Organic's matcha imparts the same delicate, slightly bitter, grass-like flavour that I'm familiar with from most sushi joints. It's also reasonably priced in comparison to others and comes with a handy dandy recipe booklet to get you started. A little bit goes a long way when it comes to matcha, believe me! All you need is about 1/2 - 1 tsp in most recipes to impart the flavour and colour of matcha.

And of course, Kiss Me Organics matcha is organic so that's a big bonus, and it also comes in a resealable package that you can toss in to your fridge to keep it fresh.

 

But enough explanation. It's time for cake!!

Vegan, Gluten Free Matcha Mug Cake

I came up with recipe after fiddling around with a few other mug cakes I'd found online. I sort of blended several and ended up with this light, not-too-sweet-bite-sized cake that I think really showcases the flavour of matcha. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. I think it's pretty addictive to be able to make a healthy cake in under 5 minutes!!

Ingredients for Matcha Mug Cake (makes 1 small cake)

2 ½  Tbsp sorghum flour 

1 tsp tapioca starch 

½ tsp Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder (or here on Amazon.ca)

1 tsp organic brown sugar or stevia equivalent 

¼ tsp corn-free baking powder 

Pinch salt

½ Tbsp olive or coconut oil 

2½ Tbsp milk of choice (rice, almond, etc.) 

Directions:

* You may or may not choose to brush the bottom and sides of the mug with oil to prevent sticking. If you're eating it straight out of the mug, you won't need to oil it.

1. In a mug, stir together dry ingredients to work out any clumps.

2. Stir in oil and milk and mix thoroughly.

2. Microwave on high for 55 secs. If the top looks moist, microwave another 10 seconds. 

Eat warm, or let cool (to improve the texture slightly) and scrape around the sides with a knife and pop cake out. And yes, I do eat it all in one sitting and no, I don't feel guilty at all about it!!

Have you ever tried Matcha green tea powder?

Sources: 

[1] Weiss, David J.; Anderton, Christopher R. (2003). "Determination of catechins in matcha green tea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography". Journal of Chromatography A 1011 (1–2): 173–80. doi:10.1016/S0021-9673(03)01133-6. PMID 14518774 

[2] "The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide". Carlsen et al. (2010)

This post was shared on the following great link parties: Waste Not Want Not Wednesday,  Real Food Recipe Roundup, The Hearth and Soul Hop, Fat Tuesday, Allergy Free Wednesday, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Healthy Happy Green and Natural Hop, Naturally Sweet Tuesday, Fight Back Friday,