Dreaming of a tropical beach, somewhere far away? The wind in your hair, and all the exotic fruit at your hands to munch on? Us too. We’re fortunate enough to have lots of childhood memories of Poipuu beach and Waimanalo in Hawaii to rely on (haupia pudding smeared all over our faces, a can of Hawaiian Sun not far at hand...). So when we need to slow down with a sweet slice of relaxation, we immediately think of lazing in the sunshine with a large slice of MIZUBA MATCHA KIWI CAKE. This special Mizuba Matcha cake is brought to us by Mizuba Matcha loving sisters Oda, Tara and Nicole. Using Tara’s divinely fluffy vanilla cake recipe, Nicole brought pure Mizuba Matcha over to the islands, and combined it with Tara’s cake to elevate it an incredibly elegant creation – worthy of any spring or summer table centerpiece. The sisters chose fresh kiwi to adorn and nestle around the cake’s layers. The fruit brings a nice citrus punch to the richness of the white cake base. “The fruit really brings a party of flavor from beginning to end of each bite,” says Nicole, “Matcha blends in the cake for a creamy, smooth component – perfect for rounding out the cake and frosting’s sweetness.” Both of these ingredients truly give the cake a developed, engaging taste – taking you from citrus and juicy, to sweet, milky and creamy with Mizuba's signature buttery matcha flavor throughout. The simple, pure beauty of the cake comes from Tara’s seasoned design eye and taste from her experience with Passion Roots – a local floral design company in Oahu, Hawaii, that focuses on couture weddings and events. “The cake is easy to make and easy on the eyes; it will instantly become a party favorite!" Says Nicole. Cut this cake into squares instead of slices for a more traditional Japanese tea cake aesthetic. Of course, enjoy with your favorite cup of Mizuba Matcha! Post your favorite #MatchaMoment to @MizubaTeaCo on Instagram – we’d love to see how you best enjoy this beautiful cake :) Now that you’re as green as the cake with envy, don’t worry! Here’s the recipe! We only added matcha to the layer of frosting in the center for aesthetic appeal, but by all means if you want a complete green machine simply add matcha to all the frosting. Mizuba Matcha Kiwi Cake Ingredients:Cake2 cups flour (almond, coconut, or oat flour are all good options)1 tbsp baking powder1/4 tsp salt2 tbs Culinary Organic Mizuba Matcha (more or less for desired shade of green)1 stick unsalted butter, softened1 1/2 cups granulated sugar ||*can substitute coconut sugar 3 large eggs 1 cup whole milk 1 tsp vanilla3-5 kiwis (or any desired fruit)Two 6” x 3/4” cake pansSpatulasTwo mixing bowls Frosting1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened6 cups powdered sugar1/4 tsp salt1/4 cup whole milk1/2 tsp vanilla*1/2 tsp Mizuba Matcha for inner frosting layerMethodCake: Preheat oven to 350º F Grease cake pans generously (coconut oil works well) In medium bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking powder In separate bowl using an electric mixer, cream butter and add sugar until texture is light and fluffy Mix in one egg at a time, while scraping down batter from sides of the bowl to distribute evenly Next you will slowly alternate adding your 1 cup of milk with your flour into the mixing bowl until combined Mix in vanilla and Mizuba matcha Evenly distribute batter into two greased cake pans leaving 1/8-1/4” room at top for rising Bake in oven for 33-35 minutes (for 9” pans bake for 28-30 minutes) or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and tops are golden brown Let cool on cooling rack completely before icing Frosting: In a bowl, cream butter until smooth, add in powdered sugar and salt until combined Slowly mix in milk until desired consistency is achieved and mix in vanilla Separate small portion in a bowl and mix in desired amount of matcha powder for green frosting Add more powder sugar if thicker frosting is desired Cake Assembly Once cakes are completely cooled, take a knife and slice off the tops of each cake to create a nice flat surface With a spatula, ice outside bottom layer of cake, leaving top bare Use matcha-green icing and ice the top of the bottom layer generously Stack second cake layer on top Ice outside and top of layer of cake Peel and cut kiwis Slice kiwis into thin rounds Assemble kiwis on top of cake in desired design Sprinkle Mizuba matcha on top of cake Notes:For a matcha green ombré design separate cake batter for each pan and mix in varying amounts of matchaFor a fuller kiwi/fruit punch to the cake pure 2-3 kiwis and add to cake batterCut in squares instead of pie slices for a more traditional Japanese tea cake aesthetic to pair with your Mizuba matcha tea. Cake will hold well refrigerated for about a week. *** Tara Oda, based in Oahu, Hawaii, works for Passion Roots, a local floral design company focusing on couture weddings and events. Beyond extrapolating on her vanilla cake recipe, we utilized Tara’s floral design and aesthetic eye for the design presentation. Photos by Tara Oda @passionrootstaraMizuba matcha-kiwi recipe by Nicole + Tara OdaVanilla cake recipe by Tara Oda