Green Tea Cake Roll

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12 x 17 inch baking pan with parchment paper.

Sift flour, matcha and baking powder into a bowl three separate times. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, beat egg whites and 1/4 cup sugar until stiff peaks form.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until color is lightened. Add the remaining sugar and continue beating until the mixture becomes thick and pale. Add milk and beat to combine. Fold in flour mixture until combined.

Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites until incorporated into the green tea batter. Then fold in the remaining egg whites until no whites remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Spread the batter evenly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until springy to the touch.Remove pan from oven and set it on a rack to allow cake to cool a bit.

When the pan is cool enough to handle (but the cake is still warm), invert the cake onto a clean dish towel on your work surface. Remove the top parchment paper carefully. Then roll up the cake (starting from a short side, rolling it into a jelly roll, keeping the towel intact) while it’s still warm. Set it seam side down on your work surface. Let it cool (wrapped in a sheet of plastic) completely.

To prepare the whipped cream, beat the cream until soft peaks form, then add the powdered sugar and matcha and continue beating until firm.

When the cake is completely cool, unwrap and unroll the cake, remove the towel and top it with cream. Re-roll the cake without the towel. Wrap some plastic wrap around the rolled cake and tighten lightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Before serving, unwrap it, trim the ends so they are even and slice the cake.