It is really rare where I get so happy and ecstatic about a dessert I make, simply because of how exciting and unique the end product is. This would be one of those desserts. Easily in my personal top 5 for best-looking desserts I have ever made, this bonsai tree came about because I had leftover chocolate and matcha shortbread doughs lying around, and I needed to use them up somehow. I had the idea to make an edible bonsai tree, because when I saw the green and brown colors of the doughs, nature immediately came to mind. But I did not necessarily want to make a giant tree. And that’s when the idea for bonsai came about. Bonsai are mini trees that are comprised of petrified wood, and they are extremely popular in Japan – some would even say sacred, since they grow to be hundreds of years old. I randomly remembered on a very old episode of “Sweet Genius”, when they had to make a bonsai tree-themed frozen dessert, and someone cut branches off an actual bonsai for their pie. Yeah, I’m not going that far, because that is sacrilegious, but I figured I could at least try making a literal bonsai tree out of the doughs that I had.

The initial plan was to the use the matcha dough to make a tart shell base, and the chocolate dough would be shaped into the tree. Unfortunately for me, the chocolate shortbread tree wound up falling apart in the baking process. And that’s when I had to get really creative. And by creative, I mean I tried two different things – chocolate tuiles and piping chocolate into ice to form the tree. While both worked out nicely, I went with the chocolate piped into the ice since it had way more stability, which I would need for these trees. I did not want to present a naked or dead-looking bonsai, so I had to do something green to add that color between the branches. While a regular cake would be fine for that, I wanted to use a microwave spongecake, since they are really porous and light, and also, I just felt a little fatigued after all the hustle and bustle of fixing the chocolate shortbread situation, and already having made the tuiles(which aren’t even used in this recipe) and the chocolate tree. So the idea of baking a sponge in the microwave sounded too time-consuming. Whereas with a microwave cake, you can have a cake baked in less than 4 minutes. So that was a no-brainer to go the microwave sponge route, in terms of both how quickly it came together, and how perfectly it emulated the shrubbery in a tree.

For the components, we have a matcha shortbread base, a milk chocolate mousse, chocolate-coated chocolate shortbread “rocks”, chocolate tree, matcha microwave sponge, and a matcha soak. The chocolate shortbread “rocks” was a pleasant accident, since I wanted to still use that crumbled up chocolate shortbread, but instead of as a tree, I coated it in melted milk chocolate and make them into rocks instead for my little bonsai tree to rest on. I went with milk chocolate, even though I normally despise it, because it is milder and sweeter, which pairs better with matcha than a bitter dark chocolate would. Speaking of the matcha, I used a matcha soak for some of the sponge as well, as a way to keep it from drying out, and since I used the sponge as a filling inside of the tart in addition to the mousse! I would say this recipe came together pretty quickly, since I was able to get the entire recipe all done within an hour!

Makes 4 bonsai tarts:
For the matcha shortbread:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp ceremonial matcha powder
3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix ingredients together until a homogenous dough forms. Chill down the dough for 10 minutes, then on a floured surface, roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 4-inch disks of the dough, and score each disk with a fork, poking the center of each disk 2-3 times. Flip a standard 12-tin cupcake mold upside down, and spray the backs of each divot with cooking spray. Align the center of each dough disk with each divot. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Allow the dough to fully cool before gently unmolding from the cupcake tins. Store the shells in an airtight container.

For the cocoa shortbread:
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp granulated sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk chocolate, chopped finely

Mix ingredients, sans milk chocolate, together until a homogenous dough forms. Chill down the dough for 10 minutes, then on a floured surface, roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Bake the dough at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then using either a metal spatula or a metal bench scraper, crush up the dough into smaller pieces. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. While the dough is still hot, mix with the milk chocolate, making sure that the chocolate melts and coats the dough. Transfer to a nonstick surface and refrigerate until firm before breaking into smaller pieces and storing in an airtight container.

For the matcha micro-sponge:
1 egg, separated
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ceremonial matcha powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
A pinch of salt

In a bowl, whip the egg white with sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. In another bowl, begin mixing the matcha and egg yolk together. Sift into that the flour and salt, and fold in the egg white. With 3 heatproof paper cups, poke holes into the bottom of the cup, no more than 4, with a paring knife. Line the inside of the cups with cooking spray and divide the batter amongst the 3 cups. Microwave the cakes for 75 seconds and then let them cool upside down(this will allow the sponges to retain a more porous texture) for 2 minutes before tearing off the cups, ripping the cakes into smaller pieces, and storing the pieces in an airtight container.

For the matcha soak:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp ceremonial matcha powder
a pinch of salt

In a bowl, mix the ingredients together with a whisk until combined.

For the chocolate tree:
ice
water
4oz milk chocolate, melted

Fill a bowl with equal parts ice and water. Transfer the milk chocolate to a piping bag. Pipe the chocolate into the ice to form your trees, keeping in mind that they will need to be at least 3 inches tall and should have a larger base for the trunk, and smaller branches coming out the sides.

For the milk chocolate mousse:
1 tsp gelatin powder + 1 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp milk
a pinch of salt
4oz milk chocolate, melted
1/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to stiff peaks

In a pot, melt down the gelatin, milk, and salt. Once dissolved, mix that with the melted chocolate. Fold the heavy cream into the chocolate in two parts, and transfer to a piping bag.

To assemble:
To start, soak the smaller pieces of cake with the matcha soak and layer them in the bottom of the tart shells. Pipe and spread the chocolate mousse on top of that. Gently place the chocolate trees into the mousse, and using the chocolate shortbread pieces, keep the tree in place while also covering the top of the mousse to emulate rocks and dirt. Garnish the top of the three with the matcha sponge, and optionally garnish the tops of the chocolate shortbread with that same sponge to emulate moss.