I've made this with two different brands of matcha powder and found that the one that was from Japan was the superior one and made a huge difference in the taste of the cake. It had a nuttier taste to it and had a softer undertone, whereas the other brand was a bit bitter. It is a nice sponge-cake type texture. I paired it with buttercream that I added matcha powder to (about 1 tbsp powder per 2 cups buttercream) and it was a nice compliment. I didn't bake at 450 though - just 350 for about 20 mins. I would make this again.

I modified this recipe a considerable bit (mainly due to a lack of necessary ingredients). First of all, I only used used Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (as opposed to sugar)and for the first two eggs I used eggbeaters. Additionally, I had no heavy whipping cream in the house for icing so I used a box of instant pudding mix (I only had cheesecake flavor =/), 1/2 cup brewed green tea, 1/2 cup skim milk, a few drops of both lemon and lime juice for a little bit of a tart bite. I didn't have powdered green tea either, but grated matcha leaves which I mixed in the batter. It gave the dough a distinct green tea aroma and an appearance similar to Pan De Los Muertos (with the anise seeds). I also put a few drops of green food coloring in the frosting and batter for an adorable finish. Even with many substitutions, this recipe proved wonderful! Very sweet, so the matcha connossieur may be a little disappointed, but the lovely aroma while they bake is quite appetizing. =]

I don't know why this cake is getting such a bad reputation. I made it at the specified temperature and it was fine. I thought it was a great cake, will definitely make it again.

Actually, the tea is called Maccha. I used an almond tea cake recipe and used the marzipan. You have to use a really good quality tea powder. All in all, this is a good idea but, maybe with a different recipe. My Japanese family liked the almond cake version. I give 2 stars for the idea! Thanks!

this is very good for a girls night in.

I, too, found the baking temperature to be too high and too long for this cake. The cake flavour is a bit on the bitter side (could be my brand of tea) and the texture is non-descript.

made the cake without the marzipan, in a sheet cake format. I think that the temperature setting is too high as the cake burned with lots of time left remaining. the green tea/whipped cream icing was nice but overall, the cake wasn't a hit with my Japanese family.