Vegan Matcha Pound Cake

Rich, moist, and classic with a twist, my Vegan Matcha Pound Cake is the perfect texture and totally vegan and oil-free! This recipe is super easy but it looks fancy enough to bring to a potluck or serve at a holiday party. The color is perfect for spring, too.

Hey Internet, you know how I’m obsessed with matcha? Well, now I put it in cake!

This vegan pound cake is perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, or really just the very beginning of spring. The trees are starting to bud, the grass is turning green, and my kitchen is too.

I’m kind of addicted to matcha. I’m a tea lover anyway, but matcha is just extra special. If you don’t know what matcha is, it’s a type of green tea that’s powdered, more caffeinated, and with a unique and delicious flavor.

I covered a whole lot about matcha with a special iced matcha latte on a previous blog post if you’re interested.

If you’re not a fan of matcha, there’s an easy way to modify the recipe to just make a regular, delicious pound cake, which I’ll explain below (there will also be a note on the recipe card at the bottom).

Anyway, this cake is moist, somewhat dense like most pound cakes, but not at all crumbly or dry. It’s easy to make and it feels special enough to serve while entertaining.

I hope you’ll make it and enjoy it as much as I do. So let’s talk about what you’ll need!

Ingredients in Vegan Matcha Pound Cake

This recipe uses unbleached all-purpose flour, but you may be able to sub it for all purpose gluten-free flour if you need to. I generally will use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour if baking a gluten-free.

You’ll obviously need matcha if you want to make a matcha pound cake. No need to use ceremonial grade which can be very expensive–there is a less expensive kind of matcha known as culinary grade.

However, not all culinary grade matcha powders are created equal; some can be quite bitter. I used Aiya Culinary Grade Matcha powder and did not notice any bitterness (you also must be careful to not use too much matcha in your recipe).

If, however, you do not want to use matcha and you just want to make a simple pound cake, you can omit the matcha from the recipe but also reduce the nondairy milk by 2 tablespoons (so you would just use 1 cup nondairy milk) and it will turn out perfectly — I’ve tested this.

Also, if you want to make a non-matcha glaze, omit the matcha powder and add an extra teaspoon of powdered sugar to that part of the recipe.

You’ll also need some standards like baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, and organic cane sugar. I know, I know–refined sugar?

Well, I tried this recipe with maple syrup and coconut sugar to be refined sugar-free, but it turned out not-so-green. So if you’re OK with a darker batter, go ahead and use those (I did 3/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 cup maple syrup).

To keep this recipe oil-free, I used coconut cream in place of plant-based butter. Coconut cream is the thicker cousin of coconut milk. You can usually find it canned in the international aisle, usually right next to the canned coconut milk.

Making Vegan Buttermilk

Finally, I made a buttermilk substitute by mixing unsweetened nondairy milk (any will work) with a little apple cider vinegar and I let it curdle for about 5 minutes while I mixed my other ingredients. You can also use lemon juice in place of the vinegar.

The glaze is just made from powdered sugar, a little more matcha powder, and a little nondairy milk. It’s completely optional if you’re watching sugar.

Now let’s talk about how simple it is to throw it all together!

How to Make Vegan Matcha Pound Cake

This is a super easy recipe–you only need one bowl to mix everything in and the pan to bake it!

Getting your Pan and Oven Ready

So first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 177 degrees Celsius and add the apple cider vinegar to your nondairy milk, letting it curdle for about 5 minutes — it will separate, but just whisk it back together when you’re ready to use it.

Prepare your loaf pan. Either use a little coconut cream to grease the pan (rub it with your fingers, kind of like shortening) or take a piece of parchment paper and line the longer end of the inside of the pan, leaving tabs sticking up (as shown in my lentil quinoa loaf recipe (internal link).

Mixing Everything Together

Cream together the sugar and coconut cream with a hand mixer. You can also just use a wooden spoon, but it’s quite a bit easier with even a hand mixer, which not too expensive.

Now add the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, matcha. Please sift your flour. It makes a much smoother batter and a more moist cake (since there won’t be clumps of dry flour!).

I just use a fine mesh strainer, but there’s also flour sifters you can pick up inexpensively.

Now stir until everything is just combined and transfer your batter into your loaf tin. Bake for 50 – 55 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 177 degrees Celsius, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Removing and Glazing the Pound Cake

Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then run a butter knife around the inside edges of the pan. Carefully flip the cake upside down onto a cooling rack. Once outside the pan, flip it once more so it’s right side up and let it cool completely before glazing.

Once the cake is cooled, mix together the ingredients for the glaze. I would sift the powdered sugar, too.

Add the nondairy milk just a little a time–it’s very easy for the glaze to get too thin.

Transfer the cake to a large plate or piece of parchment to catch spills. Pour it over the cake and let it set before slicing. Enjoy!

Anything else?

I love eating this cake on its own, but it would be extra decadent with a scoop of vegan ice cream, or healthier with banana nice cream. You could also enjoy it as a vessel for almond butter, vegan cream cheese, or with a nice cold glass of nondairy milk.

As always, I hope you love this recipe!

Let me know in the comments below if you make it, tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3

Liz

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