In short: A vibrant green coloured powder that is just green tea leaves that have been ground to a super fine powder. It's nutritional benefits supersede drinking green tea from steeping tea leaves since with Matcha, you are getting the nutrients from the WHOLE leaf.
It's flavour is bitter and sweet and extremely strong so only a minuscule amount is needed for cooking. Although it can be expensive to buy, it lasts a long time. Many Matcha companies will use packaging that helps maintain freshness for long periods of time.
- 130 times more calcium than a regular cup of green tea
- 172 times amount of protein of that in regular green tea
- antioxidant rating of 1300 units per gram compared to a pomegranate which is 105 units per gram
- 1 gram Matcha = 500g spinach
Matcha does wonders for the body. It helps to
- boost your metabolism
- boost your energy
- improve focus and concentration
- aid in weight loss for some drinkers
- help boost the immune system with high levels of Vitamin C and antioxidants
One Hot Yoga. Yogi's were the first and only people to try the cake and we're not going to lie.. it was a massive hit all round!! We were able to serve around 100+ bite sized pieces and every single piece went!
It's a raw, vegan, gluten free, refined sugar free, dairy free and amazingly delicious cake!! Seriously. Call up One Hot Yoga if you dare.
Set time: For optimal consistency let set overnight. Otherwise 4 hours will do the job.
Serves: 4
The base
1 cup almonds
2 medjool dates
2 Tbsp melted coconut oil
Place the almonds and dates in a food small processor or stick blender until fine. You should be able to squish a small amount between your thumb and index finger and have it stick. If not, add some more dates.
Then, add in melted coconut oil and continue processing until the coconut oil is mixed through.
Press the base in the bottom of a 10cm W x 5cm H mini spring form cake tin. You can get these for $2 at Kmart.
Place the base in the freezer while you prepare the berry layer.
The Berry
1 cup soaked cashews **
1/2 -1 cup of mixed berries (we used fresh raspberries and blueberries)
1 tsp melted coconut oil
Place all ingredients in a food small processor or stick blender.
Blend until think and smooth. It should be quite thick and may take a while to become smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add another tsp of melted coconut oil.
Add more berries to taste.
Spread the mix evenly onto the base of the cake and return to the freezer.
The Matcha White Chocolate
1 cup soaked cashews **
1/2 tsp cooking grade matcha
1 tsp melted coconut oil
2 tsp date paste ***
25 ml melted cocoa butter
Place all ingredients in a food small processor or stick blender.
Blend until think and smooth. It should be quite thick and may take a while to become smooth.
Add date paste to taste
Spread the mix evenly onto the berry layer and let set in the fridge.
Topping (optional)
Cacao nibs or Matcha powder
*prep time exclusive of cashew soaking time
** to soak cashews, add raw cashews and warm water to 1:1 ratio for at least 3 hours.
*** to make date paste, place 5-6 dates and 1/2 cup boiling water into a blender/foodprocessor until forms a paste. You can store this in the fridge if you don't use all of it.