Preheat the oven to the temperature 350°F (180°C)

Using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour together with the other dry ingredients minus the sugar into a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add in the milk and mix until well combined but don’t over mix or the hojicha cake will become too solid and dense!

Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Make sure you don’t over mix the ingredients or the hojicha cake can become too firm.

Once the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients have been thoroughly mixed, you can add the hojicha powder into the batter and mix until just combined.

Grease the bottom and sides of the pan with butter and dust it lightly with flour or line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper for even easier release.

Once the oven has preheated, pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Smooth out the surface of the batter with a spatula to ensure that your hojicha cake bakes evenly!

Bake the hojicha cake in the preheated oven for between 25-30 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on the hojicha cake as it can burn easily.

To check if the cake is done, you can put a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done.

Once the hojicha cake is fully baked, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool. First, let it cool in the pan or baking sheet for 5-10 minutes and then transfer it to a wire cooling rack until cooled.