Hojicha Butter Cream Cake (Print Version)

Aromatic hojicha buttercream layers between light sponge, topped with dark chocolate ganache.

# What You'll Need:

→ Sponge Cake

01 - 1 cup cake flour, sifted
02 - 4 large eggs, room temperature
03 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
04 - 2.7 fl oz whole milk, room temperature
05 - 1.4 oz unsalted butter, melted and cooled
06 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
07 - Pinch of salt

→ Hojicha Buttercream

08 - 3 tbsp hojicha loose leaf tea or 3 tea bags
09 - 3.4 fl oz whole milk
10 - 7 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
11 - 7 oz powdered sugar, sifted
12 - Pinch of salt

→ Dark Chocolate Ganache

13 - 3.5 oz dark chocolate (60-70% cocoa), chopped
14 - 2.7 fl oz heavy cream

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of two 7-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for 5-7 minutes until thick and pale.
03 - Gently fold in the sifted cake flour and salt in three additions using a spatula.
04 - Combine milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of batter into this mixture, then fold back into the main batter.
05 - Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
06 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
07 - Heat milk in a small saucepan until just below boiling. Add hojicha and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and cool to room temperature.
08 - Beat butter with powdered sugar and salt until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Gradually beat in the cooled hojicha-infused milk until smooth and creamy.
09 - Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan until steaming but not boiling. Pour over chopped chocolate in a bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth and glossy. Cool to room temperature.
10 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread half the hojicha buttercream evenly over the top. Place the second cake layer on top and spread remaining buttercream over the top and sides.
11 - Pour the cooled ganache over the cake, allowing it to drip down the sides naturally. Chill for 30 minutes before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The hojicha buttercream tastes like autumn captured in a spoon, with none of the bitterness, just pure roasted comfort.
  • It's fancy enough to impress at dinner parties but the process feels meditative and manageable, not stressful.
  • That dark chocolate ganache dripping down the sides makes even your first attempt look bakery-worthy.
02 -
  • Hojicha milk that's too hot will break your buttercream, so let it cool completely before adding it, even if it seems like it takes forever.
  • Overmixing the dry ingredients after folding in the flour is the enemy of a tender crumb—fold until just blended, not until the batter looks smooth and homogeneous.
  • The ganache must be cooled to room temperature, not still warm, or it'll melt through the buttercream and ruin your layers.
03 -
  • Room temperature everything for the butter and eggs—it's not just flavor preference, it's the difference between smooth and grainy, fluffy and flat.
  • If your buttercream ever looks separated or broken while adding the hojicha milk, stop, let it sit for 2 minutes, then keep beating; patience fixes almost every buttercream crisis.
Go Back