A recipe for Matcha Baked Donuts inspired by our time in Odaiba, Tokyo! These baked doughnuts have green tea in the doughnut base and in the sweet glaze.
We recently spent nearly two weeks in Tokyo! We had such a fantastic time seeing the city, trying a variety of restaurants, and spending time with friends.
I will be sharing our experiences in a series of blog posts. Today, I am covering our couple of days in Odaiba along with a recipe for Matcha Baked Donuts!
Check out the rest of our time in Tokyo and Yokohama:
- Pork Gyoza and Tokyo (Yoyogi, Shimokitazawa, Meiji Jingu, Gotokuji Temple)
- Japanese Crepes and Shibuya, Tokyo
- Omurice (Japanese Omelette Rice) and Tokyo (Ueno and Asakusa)
- Pokemon Bento and Tokyo
- Matcha Latte and Shinjuku, Tokyo
- Black Sesame Buns and Yokohama, Japan
Odaiba
Odaiba (お台場) is an artificial island located in Tokyo Bay in southeastern Tokyo. It was built in the 1850s as a defense against marine attacks and is now home to a variety of entertainment options for all ages, shops, and restaurants.
We spent as little time outdoors as possible (literally walking under the covered paths from the station to the buildings) since the temperatures were over 100˚F (38˚C), but there was plenty to do inside in the air conditioning.
From our hotel near Shinjuku Station, it was an easy 40 minute train ride to Tokyo Teleport Station.
Tokyo Joypolis
For our first day in Odaiba, we spent a few hours at Tokyo Joypolis (東京ジョイポリス)! It was such a fun day and perfect for our 8 and 11 year old kids.
Located at 1 Chome−6−1 3F～5F DECKS Tokyo Beach, Tokyo Joypolis is a short 10 minute walk (about 650 meters/0.4 miles) from Tokyo Teleport Station. The entrance is inside on 3F.
This indoor amusement park (one of the largest in Japan) has three levels of rides, arcade games, virtual reality, and even a roller coaster.
We had passport tickets which included unlimited access to rides. You can also buy admission tickets, then pay for individual rides using the vending machines. The paying per ride may be better during high volume days with long lines or if you don’t love a lot of thrill rides/get motion sick easily.
Reentry is allowed with tickets. We left for lunch and returned for a couple more hours before heading back to the hotel.
Claire is not big into thrill rides, but she ended up especially enjoying the virtual rides on the third level- Wild Wing, Wild Jungle Brothers, and Wild River The Treasure Hunt. Her friend went first, told her all about it, and that helped give her the courage to try.
The arcade games, crane machines (unfortunately she didn’t win anything), Pirate’s Plunder, and Fortune Forest were also a hit.
Older teenagers and adults may like the horror games and more thrilling Halfpipe and Gekion Live Coaster.
We spent about 4 hours here. Based on our experience, Tokyo Joypolis would be best with older elementary to teenagers.
Check out the list of attractions online prior to your visit and make a note of favorites. We went on a Saturday and it was especially crowded in the afternoon with longer wait times (well over an hour).
We ate outside the center, but the Frame Cafe on the third level has beautiful views of Tokyo and the Rainbow Bridge.
Jonathan’s
We took a break from Joypolis midday and walked to Jonathan’s in Daiba Decks Tokyo Beach (ジョナサン台場デックス東京ビーチ店).
Jonathan’s is a family style restaurant with seasonal favorites, breakfast, pasta, pizza, rice, doria, beef, chicken, desserts, and Okosama (kids meals). They have booth and table seating. There were 8 of us, so we split into two groups of 4 since the restaurant was crowded.
Ordering is via the tablet on the table in Japanese or English and the food delivered by a robot!
I picked the ハンバーグ&ガーリックピラフ(Hamburger and Garlic Pilaf) and コーヒーゼリーのミニサンデー (Coffee Jelly Mini Sundae). The garlic pilaf reminded me a bit of Sinangag (Filipino Garlic Fried Rice).
We also enjoyed the:
- 自家製手仕込みひれかつ＋和食セット – Hirekatsu and Japanese food set.
- おこさまパンケーキ(ゼリー・ガチャコイン付き) – Okosama (child’s meal) pancake with jelly and gacha coin. The girls loved being able to draw their own designs with chocolate sauce plus the coin for the Gachapon machine.
- 自家製プリンのジョナサンデー(桃) – Homemade pudding and peach dessert with Hokkaido soft serve ice cream, mixed berries, cornflakes, raspberry sauce, whipped cream, and white peach sorbet.
- 黒胡麻白玉ソフトサンデー – Black sesame and shiratama (mochi ball) sundae.
- ミックスアイス&チョコレートソース – Mixed vanilla and chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce.
DiverCity Tokyo Plaza
The next day, we went back to Odaiba to spend a couple of hours in DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (ダイバーシティ東京 プラザ).
DiverCity Tokyo Plaza is a quick 5 minute (240 meter) walk from Tokyo Teleport Station.
This indoor shopping mall has 7 levels of specialty and overseas shops, entertainment centers, and restaurants.
The boys love Minecraft and I did not come across the store previously during my research, so that was a particularly fun surprise.
Other highlights included the Lego Store, Wabi x Sabi (so many beautiful bowls, chopsticks, and towels!), and Donguri Kyowakoku.
King of Gyoza
While at DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, we stopped by 餃子の王様 龍吟 (Gyoza no Ousama Ryugin, King of Gyoza) for lunch. This Chinese restaurant is located on 6F alongside other restaurants and a food court.
We got the Gyoza set meal, lime sour, lemon sour, and yakisoba. The photos don’t do it the full justice, but the gyoza were massive!!
The kids especially enjoyed the child ramen set meals and the 小籠包 (Shoronpo, Xiao Long Bao).
Hello Kitty Japan
A big focus for the girls in the shopping center was ハローキティジャパンダイバーシティ東京プラザ店 (Hello Kitty Japan DiverCity Tokyo Plaza Store).
This popular store is located on 2F and packed with all things Hello Kitty and friends. There is a large variety of stationery, purses/wallets, home items, jewelry, and more souvenirs.
Attached to Hello Kitty Japan is HELLO KITTYのこんがり焼き (Hello Kitty no Kongariyaki)!
This small stand has Hello Kitty themed donuts, kongariyaki, and soft serve in a variety of flavors. There are only a handful of seats, but the donuts and kongariyaki are packaged for easy take out.
We ordered matcha and plain donuts and a few kongariyaki (they come in 10 or 20 pieces) to take back to the hotel.
The Gundam Base Tokyo
Chad and Evan were so excited to see The Gundam Base Tokyo (ガンダムベース東京) on 7F.
This massive store is home to thousands of Gundam model kits along with notable display pieces, collectibles, and limited editions.
We missed it because it was so hot and we completely forgot as we were leaving to head back to the hotel, but there is a large UNICORN GUNDAM Statue outside the building.
Matcha Baked Donuts
To pair with this post, we made Matcha Baked Donuts (抹茶の焼きドーナツ)! I even found a similar Hello Kitty Doughnut Pan to recreate the fun Hello Kitty shape from our visit to Odaiba.
With the use of the silicone pans, these Matcha Baked Donuts come together with minimal prep and no frying required.
Simply whisk together the ingredients to form a thick batter, pipe into the greased molds, and bake just until the tops of the doughnuts spring back when lightly pressed.
Once the doughnuts have cooled to room temperature, top with a sweet matcha glaze for even more flavor. Decorate as desired and allow to set briefly before serving.
Matcha
Matcha is a powder created by grinding whole green tea leaves. I have been able to find it in markets with Japanese ingredients and more recently in the tea section of larger grocery stores.
Be careful when storing matcha. It can become stale and brownish when exposed to oxygen.
The amount of matcha in the baked donuts and glaze was perfect for our family. Adjust more or less based on your personal tastes. The amount of liquid may need to be adjusted as well.
A Baked Donut Few Tips
Do not overfill the pans or they may puff outside the boundaries and lose the notable shape.
The easiest way to fill the (greased) pan is to transfer the batter to a piping bag or large ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.
You can also gently spoon the batter in until each cavity is 2/3 full. Don’t have a doughnut pan? Use a mini muffin pan to make doughnut bites. The cooking time may vary.
If the batter is too thick to pipe, whisk in a little more buttermilk. If too thin, add a little more flour.
We made a few round baked doughnuts with the leftover batter using a round doughnut pan, then topped them with a few heart-shaped sprinkles.
The exact amount of donuts and baking time will depend on the pan size. My round pans were a little larger than the Hello Kitty pans.
Bake the donuts until puffed and barely golden. The tops should spring back when lightly touched. Ten minutes is usually perfect for me. The exact time may differ based on the size of the pans.
Allow the doughnuts to rest in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing. This will make them easier to move without the risk of sticking to the pan or crumbling.
Wait until the doughnuts have cooled to room temperature before adding the glaze and toppings. They are best within a few hours of baking.
Slowly add the milk to the powdered sugar to form a glaze just thin enough to coat the tops of the doughnuts. If too thick, add a little more milk. If too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
White Chocolate Bows
The Hello Kitty Doughnut Pan came with a few little bow molds.
To create the bow decoration on the donuts, I melted white chocolate the night before, mixed in a little pink food coloring, poured it into the molds, and set aside a few hours to set.
I also got a Hello Kitty Silicone Chocolate Mold to make even more shaped white chocolates in a variety of bow sizes and Hello Kitty faces.
To melt the white chocolate, microwave in 20 second increments, stirring in-between, until smooth and creamy. You can also do this in a double boiler on the stove.
Once melted and smooth, whisk in a couple drops of an oil-based pink food coloring. The food coloring should be an oil-based one made for chocolate, otherwise you run the risk of the melted white chocolate seizing.
You can also make the bows with pink candy melts.
Matcha Baked Donuts Recipe
Adapted from My Three Seasons
Matcha Baked Donuts
Ingredients
Matcha Donuts:
- 1 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (160 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon (6 grams) matcha green tea powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch salt
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 3/4 cup (177 milliliters) buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons (30 grams) unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Matcha Glaze:
- 2 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons matcha green tea powder
- 2-4 tablespoons (30-60 milliliters) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- White chocolate pink bows or sprinkles for decorating, optional
Instructions
Matcha Donuts:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F (180˚C). Grease 2-3 baked doughnut pans.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, matcha, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, butter, and vanilla extract. Mix into the flour mixture just until incorporated with no lumps.
- Transfer the batter to a piping bag or a large ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Pipe the batter into prepared doughnut pans. Each cavity should be about 2/3 full.
- Bake in preheated oven until golden and the tops spring back when lightly pressed, 10-12 minutes.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Matcha Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and matcha.
- Slowly whisk in the milk and vanilla extract until smooth. If too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add more milk.
- Immediately dip the top of a cooled doughnut into the glaze. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and glaze.
- If desired, top with white chocolate decorations or sprinkles.
- Allow to set briefly before serving.
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