These delicate Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes are topped with light and fluffy whipped cream. They taste just like a Starbucks Matcha green tea Frappuccino!
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.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- I used this exact brand of Matcha green tea powder in this recipe.
- A stand mixer is useful to have, but you can make cupcake batter entirely by hand just using a mixing bowl and a hand whisk.
- I like to use a large ice cream scoop to portion out the batter into the muffin pan. This makes it a much cleaner process.
- Again, a stand mixer is useful for making whipped cream, but an affordable electric hand mixer will work just as well.
- Cupcakes are best when enjoy within 1-2 days, but you can refrigerate them in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
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?
Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting Recipe
Matcha Green Tea Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 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
For the frosting:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon Matcha green tea powder
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
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, which you should be able to find at any Japanese or Korean grocery store.
Nutrition
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Made these for a friend’s birthday and they came out great! The recipe is so simple, took very little time to make, and they taste good! Love the soft and light texture in particular. My friend was very impressed and it made her day. Thank you for sharing the recipe Trang!
Author
Thank you Martina! I’m so glad your friend enjoyed it for her birthday, you’re such a wonderful friend 🙂
Just made these for a friend and WOW they are so melt-in-your-mouth good!!!!! Not too sweet, the matcha comes right through and they are perfect for a quick breakfast snack haha! I used a Chantilly cream w/ mascarpone instead of normal whipped cream and it really upped the experience. I can’t wait to keep making this recipe. It’s definitely a new favorite!
Thank you so much Trang for sharing the matcha cupcake recipe. I love matcha. Your cupcake recipe is flavorful and moist. So good! This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you again for sharing it.
Author
Thank you Elisa, happy to hear you liked it!
Thank you so much Trang for developing and posting this delightful and easy to make recipe! This has quickly become my go to recipe for cupcakes and I love the matcha flavor in baked goods! I appreciate your hard work and recipes!
Author
Thank you so much Jennifer! Your kind comment really made my day 🙂
hello, is the batter not liquidy?
Author
Hi Kyla, I actually happen to remake this recipe today and the batter is not liquidy at all. It isn’t thick, and when you scoop it into the cupcake pan, it drips, but it is definitely not liquidy.
These cupcakes were amazing! I love matcha flavored desserts and have been on the hunt for a good cake/cupcake recipe. This recipe was perfect!! I upped the amount of matcha by 1.5 tsp because I wanted a stronger flavor and it worked perfectly. Instead of the whipped cream icing I went with a vanilla buttercream and lightly dusted some matcha powder on top. These were delicious, thanks for the amazing recipe!
Author
Thank you so much Catherine!
Hi if I don’t have egg, is possible to do the cupcake??
Author
Hi Susan, unfortunately I don’t think it will work, you need the egg to give the cupcakes structure.
These are SO good. I love matcha everything. These have the perfect sweetness and matcha combined. I’m so glad I found your blog, and I’m looking forward to making lots of things using your recipe!
Author
Thank you so much Jennifer! Glad you enjoy it!
Great recipe! The store was out of baking powder and whipping cream. So, I substituted buttermilk + baking soda for baking powder and the cupcakes still turned out great! I tried substituting half and half + butter for the whipping cream, but it wouldn’t whip :'( So I had a frosting-less cupcake, but still tasty nonetheless and definitely better for my health xD
Author
Aww, I’m sorry you couldn’t find whipping cream. If you still want to add frosting, you can check out my swiss buttercream or American style buttercream, they both aren’t too sweet. But I’m glad you like the cupcakes still 🙂
I absolutely loved how they turned out! I made these for my mama because she loves green tea and she loved them. I’m not a baker so I wasn’t so sure if they would turn out well since a lot of things were new to me. Ofc they turned out good though! They would’ve been better if I could actually frost things properly but oh well, practice makes perfect😂
Author
I’m so happy to hear that your mom loves them! As long as they taste good, that’s all that matters 🙂
These cupcakes didn’t rise for me unfortunately. 🙁
Not sure if it is because I used coconut oil as my vegetable oil or perhaps over mixed. I used an electric mixer.
What is the consistency of the batter supposed to look like? Mine was quite runny.
Author
Oh no, I’m sorry it didn’t rise. Hmm if you use the same amount of coconut oil, I would think it should work but I’ve never made it with coconut oil before. Overmixing can put too much air into the batter, the cupcakes will over-rise and then collapse in the oven, that sounds like it could be the problem. I can’t remember exactly the consistency of the batter since I haven’t made this recipe in a while… Some cupcake recipe can be quite runny when made with oil. If you try this recipe again, try it without the electric mixer, I always make cupcake batter by hand, also to be on the safe side, reduce the baking soda by half to reduce over-rising. I hope you try it again, and let me know.
Bad leavening was probably the culprit.
This recipe is excellent – thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
I’m just wondering.. Would I be able to substitute the Matcha powder for Lavender (for the cake) and earl grey tea (for the frosting)? I was thinking of using this recipe to make lavender cupcakes with earl grey whipped cream frosting, since the Matcha cupcakes were so, so good. I tried a different lavender and earl grey cupcakes recipe, but it didn’t turn out great.
Author
Are you planning to put crushed lavender into the batter? Lavender is very strong, so I would be careful not to use too much. I don’t really know how much to use, but definitely not a straight substitution with the matcha powder. I believe there is lavender extract if you want to make it with an extract. You may have to test it out to see what the perfect amount is either way. As for the whipped cream, you could try steeping the earl grey tea in hot cream, then you must let it cool and refrigerate until cold before whipping. Come back and let me know if it works!
Hi, my first time checking your website so I decided to make this recipe and I just Loved it!!!!! The cupcakes are so moist and the flavor of the matcha is perfect!! Well maybe because my sister brought me the matcha I used from Japan!! I think I`m gonna use this recipe for all the recipes, so I just have to change the flavor… Do you think I can do that? For example for the red velvet I added the vinegar and change the matcha for the chocolate??
Author
I actually have a red velvet recipe if you want to check that out. The vinegar is not there to impart any flavor, it’s used in conjunction with baking soda to create lift/rise in the cupcakes. You can use the recipe and change to your liking if it’s just something simple like changing out the matcha powder for some other powder. Just keep in mind that each powder for flavoring has different strength and taste so what you get with the matcha powder may not be the same for others. For example, if you are to use it to make a chocolate cupcakes, it would be very bland because you’ll need a lot more cocoa powder to get a deep chocolate flavor. Feel free to browse around though, I have a lot of different flavor cupcakes if you’d like to try. 🙂
Solid recipe! I used cake flour and a buttermilk sub (whole mik and vinegar). My cupcakes have a nice, moist crumb and rose well. I will probably increase the matcha next time because I like a stronger matcha flavor. Overall, I was pleased with my results and will definitely make these again.
Author
Excellent, thanks for the feedback Vanessa!
I made these again yesterday. I used AP flour, whole milk + lemon juice, and increased the matcha by 1-1.5 tsp. They were perfect! Everyone gobbled them up. Going to make another batch soon.
Author
Thanks Vanessa! I’m happy to hear everyone loved them 🙂
Hi Trang, can I substitute butter milk with whole milk? Thanks!
Author
Buttermilk is usually thicker than whole milk, so I wouldn’t substitute directly. You can try one of these:
1. You can try adding lemon juice or vinegar to whole milk to make a buttermilk substitute, usually 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk.
2. Try mixing half milk half plain yogurt or sour cream.
I think one of these will make good substitute but keep in mind I haven’t used them before, so forgive me if they don’t work perfectly.
Can I use cake flour for this with the same measurement?
Author
Yes Kimberly, you should be able to.
Can you use this to make a cake?
Author
Hi Chris, you sure can. Although I’ve never made a cake with this recipe so I don’t know what size it will be, but probably a small 2-layer cake. You will need to adjust the baking time when baking in a larger pan. It will take longer so just watch it so it doesn’t burn.