Brown Butter Chiffon with Cherry Preserves, Mascarpone Mousse and Matcha Buttercream—I love this cake so much! The crumb is light and fluffy, warm and toasted with brown butter and vanilla bean. There is a whipped mascarpone cream and cherry preserves too. The cake is generously frosted with a silky matcha swiss buttercream. It’s grassy, green and lush and pairs beautifully with the nuttiness of the brown butter and the sweet cherries. It’s the perfect slice.
Notes:
The flavors of this cake are inspired by Liz Ho, of Birdhouse Bake Shop. I am endlessly inspired by her gorgeous pairings and dreamy bakes. When I saw a cherry matcha combo on her feed I knew I had to recreate it at home.
Feel free to use your favorite preserves- I am loving Hot Jam. It’s peak cherry season so I used the Cherry Rhubarb jam. I imagine strawberry or blueberry would also be wonderful.
Use a high quality matcha! I buy mine from https://ippodotea.com/collections/matcha and https://kettl.co/collections/matcha-green-tea
To make the brown butter start with 1 stick (113g). If you don’t have 90 grams leftover make it up with a neutral oil, such as avocado.
I used three 6-inch cake pans for this recipe. You can also use two 8-inch pans-bake for 28-32 minutes.
Brown Butter Chiffon with Cherry Preserves, Mascarpone Mousse and Matcha Buttercream
Ingredients
Brown Butter Chiffon
1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup (75 ml) whole milk
Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
2 tsp vanilla extract
8 tbsp (113g) unsalted butter, (90 g of brown butter)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup + 2 tbsp (140) all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
4 egg whites
1/3 cup (65g) sugar
Mascarpone Mousse Adapted from Liz Ho
¾ cup (180 grams) heavy cream
1 ¼ cup (300 grams) mascarpone room temp
1/4 cup (30 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
Seeds from 1/2 vanilla bean
Cherry Preserves
1 cup of cherry jam or your favorite preserves
Matcha Buttercream
5 egg whites
1.5 cups (300 grams) sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups (452 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp matcha, sifted
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat your oven to 325F.
- Line the bottoms of three 6-inch cake pans with parchment rounds. Do not grease the pans.
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once it melts, begin stirring often. The butter will crackle and start to foam slightly. Continue stirring until the brown bits collect at the bottom of the pan. It will smell nutty and be amber in color. Transfer to a heat proof bowl, making sure to collect all the brown bits. Allow to cool for a few minutes. If you don’t have 90 grams of browned butter make it up with a neutral oil.
- In a medium bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, milk, salt and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment place your egg whites.
- Start the mixer on the medium low speed. Once the egg whites begin to foam, slowly stream in the remainder of the sugar.
- Continue to whip on medium low speed until medium peaks form. The meringue should hold a shape but still fall over on itself in a ribbon.
- Add the brown butter into the wet mix. Followed by the flour and baking powder- whisking just to combine.
- Fold 1/3 of the meringue into the batter. Use a spatula to carefully fold the eggs whites into the batter. Gently fold in another 1/3 of the egg whites, followed by the final third. Make sure the batter is well combined without deflating the meringue.
- Divide the batter into the prepared pans.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Allow your cake layers to cool completely. Once they are at room temp, cover each layer with plastic wrap and chill until ready to assemble the cake.
Make the Marscapone Mousse:
- In the mixer with the whisk attachment whip the cream to medium peaks. Sift in the matcha powder and whisk to combine. Transfer to a bowl.
- Switch to the paddle attachment (no need to clean the bowl), beat the mascarpone, sugar and vanilla until creamy.
- Fold in the whipped cream until fully combined, store in the fridge.
Make the Buttercream:
- Put the egg whites and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. Set it over a saucepan filled with simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water). Heat, whisking constantly until it reaches 160F. Immediately remove then set the bowl onto a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until thick and glossy, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Switch to the paddle attachment. Slowly add the butter a tablespoon at a time, continue beating until smooth and silky, about 10-12 minutes.
- Add the matcha and a pinch of salt- whip to combine.
Assembly:
- Place one cake layer on a plate or cake board. Pipe a border of buttercream along the edge of the cake– this will prevent the filling from spilling out. Evenly spread on half the mascarpone mousse, spread a layer of preserves, and top with the other layer of cake. Repeat. Lightly frost the sides of the cake. Place the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes, to allow the buttercream to firm up.
- Frost the top and sides of your cake with the rest of the buttercream.
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