I Heart Dessert

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In honor of St.Patty’s day, I made green cupcakes, but went the non-traditional route and decided to make green tea cupcakes. Not very Irish at all, but what better excuse than to try something new and green for this holiday.

After doing some research, I decided to try to use a regular vanilla cupcake recipe and add some green tea (matcha) powder. Luckily, for me it turned out well and the combination of the vanilla and green tea tasted good. The best part about these cupcakes was definitely the frosting.  It’s like a lighter more heavenly version of a buttercream frosting. I used a green tea frosting recipe from the Baked cookbook and I’m so glad I decided to try it. This frosting recipe definitely requires more effort, but the results are worth it! The frosting + cupcake made for an excellent pairing. I think everything had the right amount of green tea flavor. It was subtle and not overpowering.

One more thing before I go and eat another cupcake, if you are wondering where you can buy green tea (matcha) powder, you can usually find it at specialty food stores or better yet at Japanese markets if there’s one in your area. If you still can’t find it, you can also order it online. Just make sure you buy unsweetened green tea (matcha) powder. Also, the higher the quality green tea (matcha) powder you purchase, the brighter green your baked goods will turn out. Good luck!

Green Tea Cupcakes (makes 12 cupcakes)
by iheartdessert

Ingredients

• 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 eggs (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (minus 1 Tbsp of flour to replace with the green tea (matcha) powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 Tbsp green tea (matcha) powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl.
2. Next add eggs, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and green tea powder until thoroughly mixed. Mix in mik.
3. Divide batter into 12 muffin liners. Bake for 15-20 min or until tops are golden brown.

Green Tea Frosting
(adapted from Baked:New Frontiers in Baking)

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/6 cup flour
• 1/2 Tbsp + 1tsp green tea (matcha) powder
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/6 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan, whisk sugar, flour, green tea (matcha) powder together. Add milk and cream and cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Cook until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened.
2. Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the mixture on high until cooled. On low speed, add butter and mix until incorporated. Increase speed to medium-high until the frosting is light and fluffy.
3. Add vanilla extract and beat until combined. If frosting is too soft, place in refrigerator until it is firmer.