The Original Matchamisu = Matcha Tiramisu
Updated Jan 18, 2026
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What’s Matchamisu? It’s a matcha tiramisu! This matcha tiramisu recipe is THE original and the best.
My baking guru, Queenie, came up with the name Matchamisu and the recipe. It’s utterly brilliant. She took a classic Italian dessert, the tiramisu, and gave it a green tea spin by replacing espresso with matcha. Even better, they’re adorable since each one is a mini portion.
It’s super fluffy and rich with alternating layers of matcha cream and matcha sponge cake. Beware, if you’re sensitive to caffeine, you may want to limit yourself to just one of these decadent tiny treats.
Ingredients
- Matcha: Use a bright green matcha but you don’t need to use the most expensive. Look to spend around $25-35 on a tin.
- Granulated sugar
- Confectioner’s sugar
- Eggs
- All-purpose flour
- Rum
- Mascarpone cheese
- Heavy cream
Instructions
Ok, let’s get started!
Make matcha syrup first by bringing water (3/4 cup) and granulated sugar (1/2 cup) to a boil in a pan. Simmer for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
Let simple syrup cool, then sift in the matcha (1 tablespoon). Whisk well. This can be made up to a day before.
Next up is the matcha sponge cake. Turn oven on to 350°F. Lay parchment paper on a 13″x18″ sheet tray/jelly roll pan. If the parchment paper rolls up, put a little butter or oil under each corner. Dust the parchment paper with confectioner’s sugar. Set aside.
Separate eggs (4). In a mixing bowl, whisk on low speed, then the egg whites for 1 minute. Turn up the speed to medium and slowly add the sugar (7 tablespoons).
After the sugar, turn speed to high. Mix until the stiff peaks form and the egg whites look shiny.
Add the egg yolks (4) and fold to mix.
Mix well.
Sift in matcha (1 1/2 tablespoon) and flour (3/4 cup) to the egg mixture and fold.
Pour the mixture onto the sheet tray and spread evenly using a dough scraper.
Dust confectioner’s sugar on top using a mesh strainer to get an even coat.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool then use a cookie cutter (we used the 3″) to cut out circles.
Now it’s time to make the matcha cream.
Bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Put the egg yolks (2), sugar (1 tablespoon), and rum (1 tablespoon) in a stainless steel bowl that will sit on top of the pot.
Continuously whisk all three ingredients together until it thickens to the ribbon stage (about 5 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes.
In another bowl, whip the heavy cream (1/2 cup) until soft peaks form.
Fold together the lightly whipped heavy cream and the egg mixture.
Sift in matcha (1 tablespoon) and mix well. Finally, fold in the mascarpone cheese (2/3 cup).
Assembling the Matchamisu
In a small glass, put in a cut piece of the sponge cake. (We cut a smaller piece of cake to fit the tapered bottom of the cup.)
Spoon on the matcha syrup over the sponge cake, making sure the sponge cake gets soaked with the syrup. Dollop the matcha cream on top.
Layer on another piece of sponge cake. Pour on matcha syrup to the top level sponge cake. Add the final layer of matcha cream and dust with matcha.
The Original Matchamisu = Matcha Tiramisu
Ingredients
Matcha Syrup
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon matcha
Matcha Sponge Cake
- 4 eggs
- 7 tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1.5 tablespoons matcha
- Confectioner's sugar, for dusting
Matcha Cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon rum
- 2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon matcha, + more for dusting
Instructions
Matcha Syrup
- Make the matcha syrup first by bring water (3/4 cup) and sugar (1/2 cup) to a boil. Simmer for 3 minutes and remove from heat.
- Let cool, then sift in the matcha (1 tablespoon). Whisk well. (This can be made up to a day before.)
Matcha Sponge Cake
- Turn oven on to 350°F. Lay parchment paper on a 13″x18″ sheet tray. If the parchment paper rolls up, put a little butter or oil under each corner. Dust the parchment paper with confectioner’s sugar. Set aside.
- Separate eggs (4). In a mixing bowl, whisk on low speed, the egg whites for 1 minute. Turn up the speed to medium and slowly add the sugar (7 tablespoons).
- After adding the sugar, turn speed to high. Mix until the stiff peaks form and the egg whites look shiny. Add the egg yolks (4) and fold to mix. Sift in matcha (1/2 tablespoon) and flour (3/4 cup) to the egg mixture and fold to incorporate.
- Pour the mixture onto the sheet tray and spread evenly. Dust confectioner’s sugar on top.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Use a cookie cutter (we used the 3″) to cut out circles.
Matcha Cream
- Bring a small pot of water to a simmer. Put the egg yolks (2), sugar (1 tablespoon), and rum (1 tablespoon) in a stainless steel bowl that will sit on top of the pot.
- Continuously whisk all three ingredients together until it thickens to the “ribbon stage” (about 5 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes.
- In another bowl, whip the heavy cream (1/2 cup) until soft peaks form. Combine the lightly whipped heavy cream and the egg mixture. Fold together.
- Sift in the matcha (1 tablespoon) and mix well. Finally, fold in the mascarpone cheese (2/3 cup).
Assembling the Matchamisu
- In a small glass (we used mini cups), put in a cut out round piece of the sponge cake. (We cut a smaller piece of cake to fit the tapered bottom of the cup.)
- Spoon on the matcha syrup over the sponge cake, making sure the sponge cake gets soaked with the syrup. Dollop the matcha cream on top.
- Layer on another piece of sponge cake. Pour on matcha syrup to the top level sponge cake. Add the final layer of matcha cream and dust with matcha.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Im not sure what happened, but when I was whisking the eggs in the double boiler it was a really small amount it did not look like the picture…..
also i had more cake than cream. Why is that?
Hi Tiff, sorry you had problems with the recipe, but happy to hear it turned out delicious! Thanks so much for liking the Matchamisu enough to try making it on your own!
Hey Jee – yeah we did use a double boiler. I talked to my mom who bakes a lot and she said that the temperature might have been too hot or something along those lines.
Despite our problems, we did manage to fix things and in the end, the dessert turned out just fine! Super delicious! 🙂
Hi Tiff, I asked Queenie and she's wondering if you used a double boiler (bowl on top of a saucepan)for the egg yolks, sugar and rum? If you heated directly in a saucepan, it won't create the same result.
These looked fantastic and my friend and I tried to make them! Only problem we ran into was with the cream. When mixing the egg yolks, sugar, and alcohol on the stove top, the mixture turned into something more like custard. It didn't even reach 5 minutes before happening. We were both shocked and disappointed. :C
Any tips on how to avoid this?
Hi Thao Le, the recipe makes 10 small cups.
Hallo,
how many small tiramisu can I made with such quantitiy of ingredients?
Hi Alice! Thanks, Queenie did a great job making the dessert look amazing!
This dessert looks beautiful! I love making desserts with matcha :3 Also love how your cake rounds fit so well in your little dessert glasses!
Hi Francis, thanks so much for catching that!! It's 2/3 CUP, not oz. Updating the post right now…