I’d been wanting to make a roll cake for a while, especially one as good as the kind Oshima Ruro from that one game whips up — the kind that’s delicious from the first bite. I finally gave it a shot recently, and man, it’s actually really hard. First off, a roll cake means baking a cake first. It’s a chiffon cake, just baked in a flat sheet pan. You can add matcha or whatever you like; the same cake can also serve as the base for a mousse cake, though if you’re using it as a base you can bake it a bit longer. There are plenty of chiffon cake methods out there, so I won’t go into it again. When baking in a flat pan, do not let it go past 20 minutes — that’s the max — and make sure the cake stays soft. Once it’s out, cool it down right away and start practicing a roll with parchment paper. If you don’t roll it now, it’ll firm up and crack when you try later. Then it’s time to whip the cream, spread it on, and roll.

I’ve been making cookies for a while, matcha ones too, but this time I tried something different — with a swirl pattern.

I’ve made mousse twice now, and honestly the first two weren’t exactly a success. This time I finally got the one I’m happiest with.

Second attempt. Pretty much the same as the chocolate mousse last time, except the cocoa powder is swapped out for matcha powder.