Koi Pond Tea Cake

Matcha chiffon cake with black tea whipped cream and red bean filling and nerikiri dough koi fish - a sweet, serene treat.

I can clearly remember baking my first ever filled and stacked cake - a strawberry shortcake with fresh whipped cream frosting. This was after years of using tried and true box mix, so it was quite the departure for me to create a cake from scratch. At the time, I did not have an offset spatula or cake turntable, so I improvised with the turntable in my microwave and a butter knife. As to be expected, the finished cake ended up rather rough around the edges, but was nevertheless enjoyed by my family despite its lopsided composition. Since then, I’ve continued on my cake making journey, learning a few things here and there.

Not Your Typical Tea Cake

As the name would suggest, tea cakes are typically small baked goods served alongside tea (think bun, biscuit, or cookie.) Although tea cakes may appear in different forms across regions, they fulfill the same purpose in being the quintessential finger food accompaniment to tea. This tea cake recipe, however, is a matcha green tea flavored chiffon cake filled with black tea flavored whipped cream and red bean paste -  not to be confused with the traditional bun, biscuit, or cookie. 

Koi Ponds: A Haven of Serenity…or so I Thought? 

To celebrate Mother’s Day last year, I created this cake inspired by the viral koi pond jelly cake by @petrichoro. While Koi ponds are often associated with the tranquility of Japanese gardens, the process of recreating this haven of serenity in cake form was anything but. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I sorely misunderstood how time consuming it would be to bake and craft the miniature Koi pond decorations, that I found none of the peace I usually do when in the presence of the actual Koi species. Lesson learned. 

A Stepping Stone amidst a Pond

However hair-pulling the process of creating this cake might have been, it was not without its recompense. For one, the finished cake was quite the hit within the family members, who ooh-ed and aah-ed over the intricate little cake decorations. Above all, this cake served as a stepping stone to more adventurous bakes for me to attempt in the future (though my love for the classic chocolate chip cookie and other humble bakes will always remain unyielding.)

Koi Pond Tea Cake

Yield: 1

Author: Bailey Chu

Prep time: Varies Cook time: 30 MinInactive time: 45 Min

Matcha chiffon cake with black tea whipped cream and red bean filling and nerikiri dough koi fish - a sweet, serene treat.

Ingredients

Nerikiri Decorations:

• 1 cup sweet white bean paste
• 2 tbsp sweet rice flour
• 2 tbsp water
• Food coloring

Matcha Chiffon Cake:

Dry Ingredients

• ¹⁄₃ cup sugar
• 1 cup cake flour
• ¹⁄₄ tsp salt
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp matcha powder

Wet Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• ¹⁄₄ cup oil
• ¹⁄₃ cup water
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Meringue Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• ¹⁄₂ tsp cream of tartar
• ¹⁄₃ cup sugar

Black Tea Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 8-10 black tea bags (I used PG Tips)
• ¹⁄₄ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Vanilla Whipped Cream:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ¹⁄₄ cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Blue “Water” Dripping Cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ¹⁄₈ cup powdered sugar
• ¹⁄₂ tsp vanilla extract
• Blue food coloring

Optional:

• ¹⁄₂ cup red bean paste
• Mint sprigs

Instructions

Nerikiri Decorations:

1. Mix together water and sweet rice flour until well combined.
2. In a small saucepan, combine sweet white bean paste with the flour/water mixture and mix to incorporate. Heat over low heat and mix/fold constantly with a wooden spoon until the paste is no longer sticky to touch.
3. Transfer onto a work surface and knead for a few minutes until a smooth dough texture has formed. Cover in plastic wrap and allow to come to room temp before chilling in the refrigerator.
4. Divide up the dough into 6 portions and dye using gel food coloring (white, black, brown, pink, green, and orange) Wearing plastic gloves, knead in food coloring until dough is one solid color. Be sure to keep remaining pieces of dough covered at all times to prevent them from drying out.
5. For the koi fish: Roll a small piece of white nerikiri dough into a tapered, carrot-like shape. Bend it to create a slight curve.Taking tiny pieces of orange and black dough, flatten and press them into the white koi fish body. Using a toothpick, gently roll out the edges of the colored parts to create irregular patterns. Flatten some more white dough and cut out fins and tail shapes using a small paring knife or x-acto knife. Attach onto the koi fish body by squeezing and pressing gently. Apply two small dots of black dough onto the head for eyes, or alternatively, use two black sesame seeds. Repeat this process until the desired number of koi fish have been created. Reserve leftover white and black dough for the pebbles (see below).
6. For the lily pads: Roll a small piece of green dough into a ball. Flatten between sheets of parchment paper to form a disk and cut out a small wedge. Repeat this process until the desired number of lily pads have been created.
7. For the lily flowers: Roll a piece of pink dough out into a long log. Flatten between sheets of parchment paper to form a long strip of dough. Cut out around 15-20 individual petal shapes (like long leaves) with a knife. Taking about 5 petals, gather them together and squeeze the bottoms to adhere to one another. This creates the inner portion of the flower. Add more petals one at a time around the outside, squeezing together as you go. Once you have a full lily flower, gently pinch off the excess dough at the base. Place onto a lily pad and gently pat to ensure it sticks. Repeat this process until the desired number of lily flowers have been created.
8. For the pebbles: Using the leftover white and black dough, combine them together to create a gray colored dough. Roll out small pieces of dough into irregular shapes and sizes to create pebbles. Repeat this process until the desired number of pebbles have been created.
9. For the cattails: Roll out little pieces of brown dough into skinny logs. Take a thin bamboo skewer or floral arrangement wire and carefully insert into the cattail head. Repeat this process until the desired number of cattails have been created.
10. Store decorations in an airtight tupperware until ready to decorate the cake.

Matcha Chiffon Cake:

1. Line the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with a parchment round. Do not grease.
2. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: 1/3 cup sugar, cake flour, salt, matcha and baking powder. Stir together with a whisk to combine.
3. In a second mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients: egg yolks, oil, water, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until the mixture becomes smooth. Set aside while whipping the meringue.
4. In a large stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, add the egg whites and cream of tartar and whip on medium speed until the egg whites start to form soft peaks. Gradually add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in a slow and steady stream to the egg whites while whipping to incorporate. Turn the mixer up to high-speed and whip until egg whites are beaten to stiff, glossy peaks.
5. Using a whisk, fold 1/3 of the meringue into the batter mixture to lighten up the mixture. Once they are almost incorporated (there should still be streaks of meringue left in the batter) add another 1/3 of the meringue and fold again to combine. Add the last 1/3 of the meringue and fold with a rubber spatula at this point until the chiffon batter is completely incorporated.
6. Pour the chiffon batter into the parchment lined cake pan and tap the cake pan onto the counter to knock out any large bubbles. Place the filled pan onto a sheet tray and bake at 375°F for 28-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
7. Remove the chiffon cake from the oven and immediately invert cake onto a parchment sheet and cool completely upside-down to room temperature.
8. Once cooled, turn the cake over and remove the parchment paper from the top of the cake. Using a serrated knife, trim the top of the cake so that it is flush with the height of the pan. To remove the cake from the pan, run a paring knife between the cake and pan to free it. Turn out the cake and remove the parchment round from the bottom. Cover in plastic wrap and freeze the chiffon cake for at least 1 hour before trimming and splitting the cake into layers.

Black Tea Whipped Cream:

1. Cold steep the tea bags in the heavy cream overnight. Allow to infuse for at least 12 hours. Remove tea bags before whipping.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip cream at low-medium speed until soft peaks. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff peaks are achieved. Chill until ready for use.

Vanilla Whipped Cream:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip cream at low-medium speed until soft peaks. Add in powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff peaks are achieved. Chill until ready for use.

Blue “Water” Dripping Cream:

1. In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip cream at low speed until thickened slightly. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla, and food coloring. Continue to whip until just shy of soft peaks. The consistency should be runny enough to pour but thick enough not to run straight down the sides of the cake.

Assembly:

1. Using a serrated knife and/or cake leveler, trim the cake so that each surface is completely flat and the corners are all right angles. Once trimmed, split the chiffon cake into 3 layers.
2. Place the bottom layer of the chiffon cake onto a serving plate or cake board set on a turntable. Spread a thin layer of red bean paste over the surface (about ¼ cup) Place a generous dollop of the black tea whipped cream filling and spread evenly over the red bean paste layer with an offset spatula.
3. Place the second layer of chiffon over top and repeat the process of filling with the red bean paste and whipped cream.
4. Place the final top layer onto the filled cake and lightly press to adhere the layers. Use the offset spatula around the sides of the cake to smooth out the fillings. Chill in the freezer for 15 minutes.
5. Using the plain vanilla whipped cream, coat the exterior of the cake in a thin layer using the offset spatula. This is the crumb coat so don’t worry about it looking perfect. Place back into the freezer to chill for another 15 minutes.
6. Apply a finishing coat of vanilla whipped cream to the cake. This is where you’ll want to take your time and make the exterior look as smooth as possible. Place the frosted cake back into the freezer and chill for another 15 min.
7. Ladle some blue cream onto the center of the top of the cake, and using circular motions, work the cream out to the edges of the cake. Add more cream if needed, but be cautious of not adding too much. The key here is to use the cream sparingly and to go slow. Once you’ve reached the edges, gently nudge and coax the cream to just fall over and start to drip down the sides. Don’t be tempted to push it too far; let gravity do its work. Once you’ve achieved the “water” drips down the sides, place the cake back into the freezer to chill for another 15 minutes.
8. Gently arrange and place your koi pond decorations over top of the cake. Measure/trim the skewers of the cattails before inserting them into the cake, and place small sprigs of mint at the base of the stems.
9. Voila, your koi pond tea cake is finished!