Gluten Free Matcha Swirl Pound Cake with Matcha Glaze

Swirls are the name of the game, especially so in this gluten free matcha swirl pound cake. If you’re a fan of the earthy-sweet verdant powder, then you’ll be a big fan of this easier-than-it-looks cake. If you’re not, then forego the green addition and keep it simple with a pound cake bundt cake, or toss in a powder you have more affinity for (say, blitzed up freeze dried raspberries or strawberries?). Up to you – this is a fool-proof pound cake recipe by our very own Kendra Farber, so use it as your buttery, sugar-heavy foundation for whatever flavor pairing gets you saying “thank goodness” at the end of a long Monday (or any day for that matter).

We happen to love matcha, especially in its sweet form, tucked into madeleines or muffins or lattes with just enough simple syrup to get you walking a little faster down those long city blocks to work. So when we were finally in the same place again (Kendra lives in Oregon, Amelia lives in San Francisco) and wanted to make a version of Kendra’s famous gluten free pound cake, it was an easy decision to wind our way to the tea section of the grocery store to find the tiny, more-expensive-than-expected tin of intensely-green gold. Just a few tablespoons later and voilà! A cake to impress your dinner guests or lunch-time visitors, or to complement that afternoon green tea you’ve dutifully brewed.

Pound cake really is as simple as it gets – butter, sugar, flour, eggs, and a few other additions to round it off. Thankfully, it’s also one of the best things to make gluten free because it relies so heavily on the other three ingredients in great volume mentioned above. Flour is just one of the major players, not the major player, so you’re able to sub in your favorite GF flour mix easily and with little change to the overall cake. It’s also a cake that can take many forms – loaf pan, beautifully-carved bundt, square, circular, whatever you have handy or whichever you find the most visually appealing. Get creative with the core of this recipe, and be sure to let us know if you discover any new fantastic combinations! If you’re into green desserts, check out our key lime pie tartlets, or if buttery/dense is more your game, try these browned butter pecan shortbread cookies, or blondies!

Print Recipe

Gluten Free Matcha Swirl Pound Cake with Matcha Glaze

Rich pound cake with match swirls

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: almond butter, matcha, pound cake

Servings: 16 people

Calories: 200kcal

Author: Amelia Farber

Equipment

• 10-cup bundt cake pan

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 1 1/4 Cup softened salted butter
• 1 1/4 Cup white sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 Cups plus 2 Tbsp gluten free flour 1-1 mix with xanthan gum
• 3 Tbsp matcha powder
• 1/4 Cup warm milk

For the glaze:

• 2 Cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 Cup plus 1 Tbsp full fat coconut milk
• 2 tsp matcha powder

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325° Fahrenheit. Grease a 10-cup bundt pan with butter or cooking spray. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar until lighter and fluffy, then add the eggs and beat until combined. Add in the vanilla and the flour and beat until fully mixed.
• Scoop out 1/3 of the pound cake batter and put it in a smaller, second bowl. Separately, in a cup or bowl, whisk together the warm milk (the matcha will not mix in if the milk is cold) and matcha powder – it will become a thick paste. Add this paste to the 1/3 of the batter in the smaller bowl and mix until the batter is thoroughly green.
• Scrape the original, plain pound cake batter into the greased bundt pan. Then, using a spoon, scoop dollops of the matcha on top of the batter already in the pan, and swirl the two batters together (do not stir).
• Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife or skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely before turning over and plating your bundt cake. While the cake is cooling, make the matcha glaze. In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar, matcha powder, and coconut milk and whisk until homogeneous. Done!
• Once the cake is cool, drizzle the matcha glaze over the top, as much or as little as you want (we go for the former). Slice and serve!

Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cake!

Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber