I’m taking a break from berries today to share something different, these Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes. This recipe is an older one in my book, from when I first started baking cupcakes many years ago. The base is a simple buttermilk cupcake batter, which I have been able to adapt to make many different flavor cupcakes with just a few modifications. But I guess that’s beside the point.
I struggled a bit to decide which frosting to make for these Matcha green tea cupcakes. Since I personally don’t care for buttercream, I crossed that one off the list right away. My go to has always been cream cheese frosting, but I felt it would overpower the Matcha flavor. So, I ended up just using a fluffy vanilla whipped cream and dusted the top with some Matcha powder for both look and taste. I’ve always used whipped cream in this combination in the past, I guess I shouldn’t have tried to reinvent the wheel.
I love the whipped cream and Matcha combination because it kind of resembles the Matcha green tea Frappuccino, which I used to drink all the time back in the day, except in a cupcake form. ???? It’s light and refreshing, and the portion is just right. The perfect way to start off the week, don’t you think?
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon Matcha green tea powder
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Matcha green tea powder
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a regular size cupcake pan with cupcake liner.
- In a small bowl, measure out flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and Matcha green tea powder, mix well with a whisk and set aside.
- Add buttermilk, oil, egg, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and beat with a whisk to combine.
- Slowly pour the flour mixture into the liquid mixture while slowly whisking with the other hand. Mix only until combine, use a spatula to scrape any flour on the side of the bowl and mix up anything at the bottom of the bowl.
- Divide batter equally among 12 cups.
- Bake for 17 minutes until an inserted toothpick in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, combine heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract and sugar in a medium mixing bowl, beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peak forms.
- Transfer whipped cream to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip, top cupcakes with whipped cream.
- Dust the frosted cupcakes with Matcha green tea powder using a small sieve.
2. Best enjoy within 1 – 2 days, but you can store cupcakes in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
3. Make sure the cupcakes are completely cool before topping with whipped cream.
4. I used culinary grade Matcha green tea powder. You can find this at pretty much any Asian grocery store. The specific brand is linked below.
(Disclosure: Amazon associate link!)
