Strawberry Matcha Loaf Cake

Yield: 1 strawberry matcha loaf cake // Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //

Fluffy vanilla loaf cake swirled with matcha and strawberry batter.

Strawberry Matcha Loaf Cake

I personally love marbled cakes, cookies – all things marbled. I mean, it’s always fun when something tastes delicious AND looks pretty at the same time. That’s where this easy and delicious strawberry matcha loaf cake comes in. We’ll take one vanilla cake batter, divide it into 3, and swirl it with matcha and freeze-dried strawberries. Bake it, then top with a strawberry glaze. Using freeze-dried strawberries allows us to pack a ton of strawberry flavor into this loaf, which perfectly compliments the matcha!

Recipe tips

Weigh your ingredients

• Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient and can easily throw off a recipe. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!

Mix the batter carefully

• It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you will end up with a tough and chewy cake. Only mix just until all of the ingredients are cohesive.

Room temperature ingredients

• It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the egg, butter, and sour cream at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. To bring an egg to room temperature quickly, you can place it under hot water for 1 minute. To bring butter to room temperature quickly, slice it, place it on a plate, and microwave it in 5 second intervals. For sour cream, you can also microwave it in 5 second intervals until it’s no longer cold (but not hot!)

Keep an eye on that cake!

• Things like to go from under-baked to over-baked super quickly so it is important to keep a close eye on them. Start checking at 40 minutes with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out wet, check again in 5 minutes and so on, until the toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

Ingredients and substitutions

For the strawberry matcha loaf cake:

All purpose flour: gives the cake structure.

Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.

Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the batter.

Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake. You can substitute in salted butter, just be sure to omit the extra salt in the batter.

Granulated sugar: for adding sweetness and for locking in moisture.

Egg: for binding the batter together and adding moisture.

Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract! 

Sour cream: for tenderizing the cake and adding moisture. I recommend full-fat sour cream for the best texture.

Matcha: make sure you have powdered matcha. I’ve found that some brands have bigger granules of matcha, which is fine for dissolving in your drink, but not the best for baking. This is the matcha I use.

Freeze-dried strawberries: for flavor! You can grab these on amazon, or I’ve also found them at Target and Walmart. There’s not a substitute for these, but you could replace them with freeze-dried raspberries, or omit them for just a matcha marbled loaf cake.

For the strawberry glaze:

Powdered sugar: the base of the glaze.

Milk: feel free to use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk here. We’ll use the milk to thin out the glaze to a pourable consistency.

Salt: brings out the flavor and sweetness of the buttercream.

Freeze-dried strawberries: for flavor!

How to: strawberry matcha loaf cake

Here are the steps to follow to make this loaf cake. You can find the complete recipe (which is printable!) at the end of this blog post.

1. Preparation. Butter an 8×4″ loaf pan, then line it with parchment paper to form a sort of hammock, where there are two sides with parchment paper sticking up. This will make it easy to pull the loaf out of the pan when it’s done baking. Also, in either a small food processor or a plastic bag, crush up the freeze-dried strawberries into a fine powder.

2. Cream the butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, with a hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) beat together the softened butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

3. Add in the wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs one at a time. Add in the vanilla and sour cream, and beat until combined.

4. Add in the dry ingredients. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the batter, just until no flour streaks remain.

5. Swirl the batter. To two separate bowls, add 1 cup of the cake batter. To one bowl, gently fold in the matcha powder, to the other, the freeze-dried strawberry powder.

6. Bake. Alternate adding the vanilla, matcha, and strawberry batter to the prepared loaf pan. Once all of the batter has been used, use a butter knife to gently swirl the batter around. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with just a few crumbs.

6. Make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, salt, and crushed freeze-dried strawberries.

7. Serve and enjoy! Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, top it off with the glaze, serve, and enjoy!

Strawberry Matcha Loaf Cake Q & A

Can I double this recipe?

• Of course! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results. Once you’ve doubled the batter, simply divide it up into two loaf pans to bake.

What size loaf pan do I need?

• I used an 8×4″ loaf pan for this cake. If all you have on hand is a 9×5″ pan then you can definitely use it – just note that the cake will be a tad bit shorter and will probably bake a bit faster. Also please note that I always use and recommend metal baking pans, and if you choose to use ceramic or glass, the baking time will likely be much longer.

Do I need to use freeze-dried strawberries?

• Yes and no. You can’t replace freeze-dried strawberries with regular strawberries because they contain much more water, meaning the batter consistency and texture would be altered, and you just wouldn’t get as much strawberry flavor in there. You can however, choose to omit the freeze-dried strawberries for just a matcha loaf cake or choose to use freeze-dried raspberries in their place for a raspberry matcha loaf cake.

How should I store this cake?

• This cake will taste the best on the day that it’s baked, but will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Why do you measure in grams?

My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!

A note on oven temperature

Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.

Tools and ingredients

You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!