Green Tea Cupcakes....for St. Pattie's Day!

This spring break my friend asked me if I knew how to make green tea cupcakes. "Of course I do!" I replied. Not that I'd made them before. But I knew that all I had to do was add matcha powder to any recipe.

For those who don't know, Matcha is a powdered form of green tea. It's usually used in traditional Japanese Tea Ceremonies and is considered to be very valuable. That's why sometimes you see "green tea [insert dessert name here]" and "matcha [insert name]" Matcha will probably be a better quality and a stronger flavor.

I love this stuff. I started eating matcha desserts in Japan a few years ago: doughnuts, ice cream, ice cream sauce. Whatever, I'd eat it. So when my friend asked me about cupcakes, I jumped at the chance.

Matcha Cupcakes
from Cupcake Bake Shop by Chockolyt


Ingredients:
-24 cupcake papers/350 degree oven
-1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
-2 cups sugar
-2 large eggs
-2 large egg yolks
-3 cups all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/8 teaspoon salt
-1 cup milk
-2 tablespoons matcha tea

How to:
1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs/egg yolks one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Add to batter and mix to combine.
5. Mix matcha in with the milk. Add to the batter and mix until combine.
Scoop batter into prepared into cupcake papers.
6. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Matcha Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:
-1 stick butter, room temperature
-2 tablespoons half and half or light cream
-1 tablespoon matcha powder
-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

How to:
1. Mix matcha in with the light cream to make a paste.
2. Beat butter briefly, scrape bowl.
3. Add the sifted powdered sugar and matcha paste. Beat until smooth.

PS:
- Matcha is hard to find. I got mine at Whole Foods, but try local teashops or international markets as well.
- The cupcakes can also be topped with a vanilla frosting(as suggested by one of my friends)
- These don't need food coloring, they are super bright.
- Feel free to cut back on the tea. I love the bitter flavor but it may be a bit strong for some. Like my mother


Enjoy!