Adding strawberry to matcha tea is such a great flavor combination, and Starbucks just came out with a strawberry matcha loaf with strawberry icing. I immediately had to get in the kitchen and create my own recipe, mostly because I want to eat the bread, but also because I wanted to share it with you! I have to say this recipe turned out super delicious, easy with my boxed cake mix hack, and my kids have been very happy to be taste testers this week!
Check out the Strawberry Matcha Loaf TL;DR tips here.
Skip to the visual step-by-step instructions.
What does Strawberry Match Loaf with Strawberry Icing Taste Like?
The matcha and strawberry loaf quick bread recipe has the perfect combination of earthy matcha and sweet strawberry. The brightness of the strawberry really balances the flavor of the matcha. The matcha flavor in this strawberry loaf isn’t too strong. It’s subtle, but you know that it’s there. The loaf contains real matcha powder – here is my favorite one (affiliate link). Every single one of my five family members took a bite of the matcha loaf and said, “oh, that’s good.” And I said, “but does it taste like matcha?” and they said yes it does. So there ya go.
Strawberry Match Loaf with Strawberry Icing – the Easy Way!
This quick bread recipe for strawberry matcha loaf is also going to be easy because we are going to start with cake mix recipes. So the recipe requires less ingredients for you to purchase, less ingredients for you to measure, and less mistakes all the way around.
The strawberry icing is also easy and delicious and only requires three very simple ingredients. I like my strawberry icing to be kind of like a glaze on my bread, so that is how I wrote the recipe. The Starbucks icing is more of a firm icing almost as though it were a cookie icing which is not my favorite, so I didn’t choose to write the recipe that way. You can certainly add less liquid to the recipe for a thicker icing.
Important Note about using boxed cake mixes!
Now, this is very important! When you make this recipe you will start with ingredients from boxed cake mixes, but you will not use the other ingredients that are on the back of the cake mix box. You’ll start with just the powder mix and add the other ingredients in my recipe to that.
How many loaves of strawberry matcha bread does this make?
Includes tips about freezing and meal prepping
With this recipe written as-is, you will make two 8-inch loaves of strawberry matcha bread. My family will eat two loaves of quick bread within a week, so this works for me. However, you can wrap the second loaf in wax paper, place it in a tight Ziploc bag, and freeze it. Then you can thaw it for a future breakfast.
If you want to double this recipe, you will make four 8-inch loaves of strawberry matcha quick bread. The great thing about doubling this recipe is you actually will use the entire cake mix from each cake mix box! Then you can gift or freeze the extra 8-inch loaves of strawberry matcha bread. So keep that trick in mind.
This might be a great way to meal prep some of your breakfasts, or it might be a great way to gift something to a neighbor. I also recommend quick breads for Christmas gifts and other holidays.
Hey, and if you like meal prepping breakfast, check out some of my meal prep recipes here.
TL;DR: The Strawberry Matcha Loaf Recipe “Cheat Sheet”
If you’re in a hurry, here are my shortcut recipe tips to that viral coffee shop treat:
The Flavor: A perfect balance of earthy matcha and sweet strawberry that isn’t too strong—my kids are obsessed!
The Secret: Use boxed cake mixes as your base, but with different recipe add-ins. It means less measuring and less mistakes all the way around.
The Yield: This recipe makes two 8-inch loaves. Eat one now, and freeze the other in a Ziploc bag for a future breakfast!
Meal Prep Hack: Double the recipe, which uses the full boxed cake mixes, and freeze or gift the remaining loaves. Also, this means no leftover cake mix going to waste!
Pro Tip: Sift your matcha powder into the white cake mix to make sure you don’t have any bitter green clumps.
FAQ about Strawberry Matcha Loaf Recipe:
Does this really taste like the Starbucks version? It has that same great flavor combination of matcha and strawberry, but I think it’s better. I wrote the recipe with a drizzly strawberry glaze instead of that firm, thick icing they use, which is not my favorite. Plus, it has that home-cooked, delicious and satisfying feel.
Is the matcha flavor too strong? Not at all. The brightness of the strawberry really balances the earthy flavor of the matcha. It’s subtle enough that every one of my five family members said, “Oh, that’s good,” but you definitely still know the matcha is there.
Can I just use the ingredients listed on the back of the cake mix box? No! Remember, you will start with the powder from the boxed cake mixes, but you will not use the other ingredients on the back of the box. Follow my recipe for the sour cream and oil measurements to get that perfect quick-bread texture.
Why does this recipe make two loaves? My family will eat two loaves of quick bread within a week! But the great thing is, if you double the recipe to make four loaves, you actually use the entire cake mix from each box. It’s a great trick for meal prepping or gifting loaves to neighbors for Christmas and other holidays.
Can I freeze this bread? Yes. Wrap the loaf in wax paper and place it in a tight Ziploc bag. It thaws out perfectly for an easy breakfast later on.
Strawberry Matcha Loaf with Strawberry Glaze Quick Bread Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray your loaf pans with non-stick spray. I like the type that contains flour for non-stick. Alternately, you can spray the sides and line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment paper.
- In a mixer, add white cake mix, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 2 eggs.
- Sift matcha powder into the mixing bowl.
- Mix on medium for 2 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides.
- Pour half of the batter into each of two greased loaf pans.
- In a mixer, add strawberry cake mix, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 2 eggs.
- Mix on medium for 2 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides.
- Pour half of the batter into each of the two loaf pans, pouring on top of the matcha batter.
- Use a butter knife to swirl the batters together in each pan.
- Bake both loaves at the same time for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Place loaves on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes while you make the glaze.
- In a bowl, add powdered sugar and strawberry sundae topping. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and whisk. If glaze is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk and whisk again. Repeat if necessary. I like my glaze to be drizzly.
- Pour or spoon glaze onto each cooled loaf. The glaze will set in about 5 minutes.
Notes
*Please consult your health professional for health and nutritional advice.
Step-by-Step Visual Instructions for Strawberry Matcha Loaf with Strawberry Icing
Spray two 8-inch loaf pans with non-stick spray with flour. I tested using non-stick spray without flour, too.
Or, you can trace the bottom of the pan to cut parchment paper to line the bottom of the pan, and then spray with any non-stick spray.
Make the Matcha Batter
In a mixer bowl, add 2 cups of white cake mix, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 2 eggs. Remember, skip the other ingredients from the back of the cake box. Use only the powder cake mix.
Please note in these photos, I’m doubling the recipe for the meal prep version!
Sift the matcha powder into the mixer bowl.
Mix on medium for 2 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides.
Pour half of the batter into each of two greased loaf pans.
Make the Strawberry batter
In a mixer bowl, add 2 cups of strawberry cake mix, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 cup sour cream, and 2 eggs. Remember, skip the other ingredients from the back of the cake box. Use only the powder cake mix.
Please note in these photos, I’m doubling the recipe for the meal prep version!
Pour half of the batter into each of the two loaf pans, pouring on top of the matcha batter.
Use a butter knife to swirl the batters together in each pan. Be thorough, making sure to swirl near all of the edges, too.
Bake the Loaves
Bake both loaves at the same time for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. At this point, you will see just a little green peeking through, but don’t worry, when you cut it open, it will be bright green!
Place loaves on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes while you make the glaze.
Make Strawberry Glaze
In a bowl, add powdered sugar and strawberry sundae topping. Add 2 tablespoons of milk and whisk. If glaze is too thick, add another tablespoon of milk and whisk again.
This glaze is too thick and needs more liquid to be drizzly, but it could be a great thickness for icing:
Repeat adding one tablespoon of milk, if necessary. I like my glaze to be drizzly. If you want your glaze to be thicker, start with just 2 tablespoons of each liquid, and add more until you get the consistency you want.
Pour or spoon glaze onto each cooled loaf. The glaze will set in about 5 minutes.
